Love Boat
by cleotheo
Summary: An invite to Blaise and Daphne's wedding means Draco will be in the same place as an obsessed Astoria. In a bid to keep Astoria at bay, Draco ropes his best friend, Hermione, into attending the wedding as his girlfriend. Will the charade turn into reality, or will the smitten couple refuse to acknowledge their real feelings for one another and remain just friends?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N – Welcome to my new story. Love Boat is a light-hearted, fun story. As usual it's already fully written and in total it has 14 chapters. I hope people enjoy it.**

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As he got dressed to go out and celebrate his twenty fifth birthday, Draco Malfoy couldn't help but wonder what his fifteen year old self would think of his life. Ten years ago, Draco had his entire life figured out, and in the end nothing had gone to plan. When he was fifteen Draco would never have thought he would be living in a penthouse in Sydney, Australia. Nor would he have thought that the thing he hated most about his life was the horrible Dark Mark on his left forearm. And he definitely wouldn't have believed his best friend could be a muggleborn, especially not a muggleborn he'd supposedly hated since he was eleven.

At fifteen Draco was convinced he would be following in his father's footsteps as a Death Eater, following Voldemort's return a few weeks before his birthday. As it turned out he did follow in Lucius's footsteps, but it wasn't willingly and it certainly didn't lead to the glory his younger self had once thought it would. In the end all being a Death Eater did for him was cause him and his mother years of misery and suffering, before leaving him constantly battling against people's distrust of him based on his mark.

Draco had been forced into taking the mark when he was just sixteen, following Lucius's imprisonment after the debacle at the Ministry of Magic at the end of Draco's fifth year. In the two years that followed, before Voldemort was ultimately vanquished at the hands of Harry Potter, Draco and Narcissa suffered greatly at the hands of The Dark Lord and his followers.

After Voldemort's downfall all three Malfoy's stood trial for their part in the war. Lucius received a brief stint in Azkaban, followed by tight regulations on his magic and movements thereafter, in exchange for giving the Aurors every bit of information he had about other Death Eaters. Narcissa escaped any punishment following testimony by Harry Potter that she'd saved his life and enabled him to go onto defeat Voldemort. Of course the fact she didn't have the Dark Mark was also a plus for Narcissa.

Draco however fully expected the book to be thrown at him. Yes, he'd been forced to take the Mark and constantly threatened after that, but he'd still done some horrible things and he was ready to pay the price for his crimes. However at his trial veritiserum had been used on him, forcing him to reveal every nasty thing Voldemort had put him through. Narcissa also testified for her son and allowed her memories to be shown in court, which showed just what Draco had gone through with The Dark Lord. Finally two unexpected character witnesses had spoken up for him, which ensured he was released without charge. Once two thirds of the golden trio, Harry Potter and Hermione Granger, testified to say they believed he'd only acted under duress, his acquittal was almost a forgone conclusion.

After his acquittal, Draco vowed he would change and prove to people they were right to give him a second chance. The first people he spoke to were Harry and Hermione, alongside their best friend Ron Weasley. Surprisingly he managed to make peace with all three of them and they agreed to put the past behind them. However putting the past behind him wasn't quite as easy with everyone else. A lot of people still judged him on his mark, and almost everyone else pitied him for what he'd gone through during the war. Draco could never decide which bothered him more, people hating him without ever getting to know him or feeling sorry for him and knowing exactly what had happened to him at the hands of The Dark Lord.

As he struggled to change people's opinion of him, Draco started to blame Lucius for his problems, leading to several arguments with his father. When he was at his lowest, Draco blamed his father for getting him involved with Voldemort. He wasn't deluded enough to claim he would never have joined the dark himself, but it was very much Lucius's fault it had been thrust upon him so early. Without Lucius's cock-up at the Ministry, Draco would have been spared receiving the mark. He would have been just like his friends, Theo Nott, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle. All three boys had fathers within the Death Eaters, and the general consensus was that they would have joined up when they left school, but because Voldemort was defeated before then, they were given the benefit of the doubt. No-one judged then on a mark they may or may not have ended up taking.

For three years Draco struggled to rebuild his life and try and make a fresh start. However between the attitude of the wizarding public, and the problems he was having with Lucius, Draco decided he needed to leave Britain. Once upon a time Draco would never have dreamt of moving abroad, he would have even been hard pushed to see himself moving out from the Manor. However the war had changed everything and all Draco wanted was to go somewhere no-one knew the name Malfoy. He wanted to go somewhere he could get to know people without them judging him for past mistakes.

Wanting to get as far away as possible, Draco settled on Australia. Lucius wasn't overjoyed with him moving so far away, but feeling guilty for his part in what had happened to his son, he ensured he had enough money to buy himself somewhere to live and set up his own potions company. Between the help Lucius had given Draco in moving, and the distance between them, relations started to get better between father and son. Things could still be a bit tense between them, even now four years later, but things were a lot better than they had been for years.

Draco quickly settled in Australia, and in the four years he'd been there he'd never regretted leaving Britain. He'd found a penthouse in a wizarding apartment block, that overlooked Sydney harbour, and he'd set up his own business. While his potions company was still quite small, Draco had big plans for it and it was already making a healthy profit.

In his first week in Sydney, he also managed to make his first friend. The apartment block Draco lived in had two penthouses on the top floor, and a few days after moving in he'd ran into his neighbour. He was totally stunned to find his neighbour was Hermione Granger, he'd had no idea she'd even left Britain. Hermione explained she'd been living in Australia for nearly a year by then and worked at the Australian Ministry. Since the pair had put their differences aside directly after the war making friends came pretty easy. As it turned out they had a lot in common and when they weren't sniping at each other they really enjoyed each other's company. In the past four years their friendship had blossomed and with all of their old friends back in Britain, they considered each other as best friends.

The only problem for Draco, was that over the course of their friendship he'd fallen in love with Hermione. Hermione however never seemed to look at him as anything other than a friend, and not wanting to ruin their friendship, Draco remained quiet about his feelings. Instead he dated other witches, but none ever lived up to Hermione and his relationships were all short and sweet.

Thoughts of Hermione dragged him back to the present and glancing at his watch Draco cursed when he realised he was almost late. Quickly he finished getting ready, and grabbing his wallet and wand he left the penthouse. Hermione's front door was exactly opposite his in the small corridor that linked their penthouses to the lift, and it took Draco two strides to cross the hallway and knock on his friend's door.

A few moments after knocking, the door opened and Hermione emerged from her place. Draco thought Hermione always looked lovely, but she looked especially good on nights like these when she dressed up. She was wearing a black and white wrap around dress, paired with black heels. Her long, brunette curls were pinned back from her face, but were left loose to cascade down her back. She was also wearing delicate silver jewellery and a light coating of make-up.

"You look lovely." Draco smiled.

"Thanks." Hermione blushed at the compliment and dipped her head. No matter how many times Draco complimented her, she still got butterflies in her stomach.

"Are you ready to go?" Draco checked.

"I've been ready for ages." Hermione remarked as they headed for the lift. "I thought you were standing me up."

"I would never stand you up." Draco replied honestly.

"I thought you were still freaking out about turning twenty five and had decided to stay in and mope." Hermione laughed as they stepped into the lift and pressed the button for the ground floor. For the last few weeks Draco had been complaining about his age, much to Hermione's amusement.

"It was tempting." Draco deadpanned. "After all, who wants to celebrate being a quarter of a century? That's old."

"Of course it sounds old when you put it like that." Hermione retorted with a smile. "Although I'll have you know there's nothing wrong with being twenty five. I'm almost twenty six."

"Sorry, I forgot I was out with an older witch." Draco grinned.

Hermione rolled her eyes at Draco as the lift stopped and they got out. Leaving their apartment block, they headed for the nearby restaurant where they had a table booked. The restaurant they were visiting was a regular haunt of theirs so they were greeted warmly and ushered to their usual table out on the terrace, overlooking the harbour.

Over dinner the pair talked and laughed like old friends. Despite only really knowing each other for four years, their bond was pretty solid and they both knew they could talk about anything with each other. Over the years Draco had confided in Hermione about what his life had been like with Voldemort in residence at the Manor and how much he'd struggled after the war. Hermione meanwhile had told Draco about her reasons for leaving Britain, and what had brought her to Australia.

Once dinner was over the pair went for a walk, before heading back to Draco's penthouse for a nightcap. Draco poured them both a drink and they settled down on his sofa. Hermione had already kicked off her shoes and had her feet curled up underneath her. They spent so much time at each other's places that they both felt equally at home in either penthouse.

"I've got a favour to ask you." Draco said, once they were both comfortable.

"Go on." Hermione coaxed when Draco paused, as if trying to work out how best to mention his favour.

"With my birthday card from Blaise was a wedding invitation and a letter." Draco explained. "I've already told you, he's marrying Daphne Greengrass, well the weddings in August. I was hoping you'd accompany me."

"Of course I will." Hermione answered.

"There's more." Draco warned. "I want you to accompany me as my girlfriend." Hermione's mouth dropped open and she looked at Draco in amazement. "All fake, of course." He added hastily, not wanting to ruin things between them.

"I'm confused." Hermione confessed, burying the disappointment that flooded her when Draco mentioned the entire thing being fake.

"Firstly, I should probably mention the invite is for the whole wedding week. Blaise, being the flash git he is, wants everyone to gather the week leading up to the wedding and spend it together."

"Where?"

"The letter mentions his new hotel in the south of France." Draco answered. "If it's anything like his others, it'll be lovely. Everything you could possibly want will be on the complex."

Blaise owned a chain of luxury hotels in Europe. All the hotels were top class resorts and had everything a person could desire from a luxury hotel. They were of course ridiculously expensive, but they were also very profitable and always fully booked with witches and wizards wanting a sample of the good life.

"It sounds lovely, but why do you need me to pretend to be your girlfriend?" Hermione asked. "Can't I just go as your friend?"

"You could, but Astoria will be there." Draco replied, grimacing at the mention of Daphne's younger sister.

Before leaving Britain he'd went on a few dates with her, only because Daphne begged him to and he didn't want to disappoint his friend, but it hadn't gone well. Astoria was mind numbingly boring and he'd instantly squashed any chance of a relationship. However Astoria had set her sights on Draco, and refused to take no for an answer. In fact she was still bugging Draco when he left Britain four years ago.

"She's not still after you, is she?" Hermione laughed. Draco had shared his story about the obsessive younger witch, and she found it hilarious that she'd practically turned into a stalker where Draco was concerned.

"According to Blaise she is." Draco nodded. "That's why I need your help. I want to be at Blaise's wedding, but I can't cope with a week of fighting Astoria off me."

"And you think she might back off if you show up with a girlfriend." Hermione guessed.

"Hopefully." Draco said. "Although it will have to be convincing. She has to believe we're really together and we're serious. If she thinks we're just casual, who knows what she'll try. Please Hermione, I need your help. I'm begging you, come with me."

Hermione looked at Draco, who was so cute as he pleaded with her, and nodded. "Okay, I'll help."

"You're a lifesaver." Draco grinned. Leaning over to Hermione he gave her a peck on the cheek and wrapped her in a hug. "I owe you one."

"Don't worry, I'll not let your forget." Hermione replied as they separated from their hug. "Now, tell me more about this hotel we're going to be going to. And I guess we need to discuss the trip and how we're going to convince Astoria we're really a couple."

"We'll figure something out." Draco replied, before telling Hermione about Blaise's hotels and what they could expect from his new one.


	2. Chapter 2

In her bedroom, Hermione was packing her case and double checking she had everything that was written on her list. The routine was one Hermione was used to, she used the same system whenever she went on holiday and she'd even used it back in school. By writing down everything she needed before even starting to pack, she could ensure she never left anything behind when it came time to pack.

As she packed Hermione couldn't help but wonder if she was doing the right thing by accompanying Draco to Blaise's wedding. Obviously she wanted Draco to be able to attend his best friend's wedding, but she was unsure if she could pull off pretending to be his girlfriend. Or more accurately she was worrying that she wouldn't be able to last the week without revealing her true feelings for her blond friend, namely that she was in love with him.

Over the years of their friendship, Hermione had somehow managed to fall hopelessly in love with the former Slytherin. Not that she'd ever told him that, instead she'd buried her feelings and tried dating other men. However no matter how hard she tried, Hermione could never quite stop herself from comparing her dates to Draco and needless to say none of them measured up to her friend, meaning her relationships were always short and over before they'd ever really begun.

Hermione tried to justify not telling Draco about her feelings with the reasoning that he'd never shown any romantic interest in her and that she really wasn't his type. Since arriving in Australia, Draco had dated a steady stream of beautiful, glamourous witches, none of whom Hermione could ever dream of competing with. She knew she was quite attractive, but she wasn't in the same league as the beauties Draco tended to attract. Draco's type was very clearly gorgeous witches who were always immaculately dressed in designer gear, and that definitely didn't describe Hermione. She wasn't opposed to dressing up when the occasion called for it, but she was more a casual type of girl. Over the years Draco had seen her at all sorts of different times, often looking absolutely terrible, while she doubted his various girlfriend's had ever let him catch them without being fully made up.

Despite telling herself she just wasn't Draco's type, Hermione knew there was another reason she didn't want to admit how she felt about him, she didn't want to lose him. Hermione had already lost one of her best friends by changing their friendship to romance, and she didn't want the same thing to happen with Draco. The last thing she wanted was for a repeat of the Ron fiasco that had ultimately led to her leaving Britain behind five years ago.

For years Hermione had pinned her romantic hopes on Ron, despite them being not very well suited. Their friendship had been tenuous at times, and they often fought over trivial little things. Not to mention they were only friends because of Harry, it was Harry who had made the first move towards friendship and if it hadn't been for him Hermione knew that she and Ron would never have gotten along. After all it was him, not Draco or anyone else, who'd made her cry back in first year. However despite knowing how incompatible they were, Hermione still let herself fall for Ron.

It wasn't until they got together in the aftermath of the war that Hermione accepted how incompatible they were. Right from the beginning of their relationship there were problems. Basically they both wanted different things from life. Ron was content to follow Harry into Auror training, while it wasn't something he was passionate about he was more than happy to just follow after Harry and do what his best friend did. Hermione meanwhile wanted to return to school to get her exams, before starting a career at the Ministry as a lawyer. As for the future, Ron was content to settle down with his job, get married, have kids and settle for a few weeks in the sun each year. Hermione however wanted a career, she wanted to go travelling and see the world, settling down with a family was something way off in the distance for her.

Despite their initial problems they remained together, mainly because Hermione was too stubborn to admit she'd made a mistake. She'd spent years claiming to be in love with Ron, and she was at least going to try and make their relationship work before throwing in the towel. For eighteen months, Hermione tried her hardest to make her relationship with Ron work. At times things were really good between them, but their fundamental differences just proved too much for the couple and more often than not they were fighting.

Finally a massive fight spelt the end of their relationship. The fight was so bad that not only did it end their relationship, it ended any chance they had of staying friends. Hermione couldn't really say what had started the argument, but she knew that both she and Ron said some things in the heat of the moment that were impossible to take back.

The end of her relationship with Ron also proved tough on her friendship with Harry and Ginny. Despite being Ron's sister, Ginny didn't turn against Hermione, but obviously her loyalty was to her brother. Hermione and Harry's friendship also suffered, with Harry being torn between his two best friends. Gradually Hermione's contact with both Harry and Ginny dwindled, and she only saw them occasionally.

Six months after her relationship with Ron had come to an end, Hermione had decided it was time for a fresh start. Australia was the natural place as that was where her parents were. After the war Hermione, alongside Kingsley Shackelbolt, had gone to Australia and returned her parents memories. Hermione's parents hadn't been happy with what their daughter had done, and had decided to remain in Australia rather than returning home to try and sort things out with Hermione. In the two years Hermione had been in Britain she'd kept in contact with her parents, but she hoped that by living in the same country that they could rebuild their relationship.

Hermione's rebuilding of her relationship with her parents was slow going, but five years later she was as close to them as ever. A big part of that closeness was developed three years previously when Hermione's father had been diagnosed with cancer, luckily he was now in remission but for a while it had been touch and go on whether he would survive. At the time Hermione still wasn't particularly close with her parents, but her father's brush with death had changed everything. The thought of really losing each other had scared everyone and a lot of things had been discussed and fixed while her father was ill.

It was also her father's illness that had strengthened Hermione's friendship with Draco. The pair had already become friends in the year since Draco had arrived in Sydney, but this just made them even closer. Draco was always there for Hermione, and supported her through her father's illness. He was the only person Hermione felt comfortable with to just let everything out and admit how scared she was of losing her father. She'd lost count of the times she'd broken down in his arms, while he reassured her everything would be alright. By the time Hermione's father was on the mend their friendship was stronger than she'd ever thought possible, and she was also in love with him.

Hermione sighed as she thought back over her friendship with Draco. Shaking her head she snapped her case closed and placed it on the floor. She'd agreed to help Draco, so she would just have to bury her feelings for him and get through this next week. He was her best friend, and there was no way she was backing out and letting him down. She could live a lie for the next week, even if it was a lie she would love to be true.

Leaving the bedroom, Hermione made her way into the front room. There she found Draco settled on the sofa, watching the television. Over the years of their friendship she'd gotten the blond acquainted with a fair bit of muggle stuff, and on a whole he liked what she'd shown him. Television and film was a particular favourite of his, as were sports. Draco had spent the last four year studying muggle sports and he was now an ardent supporter of both the Australian cricket team and the rugby team.

"All done?" Draco asked as Hermione sat down next to him and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Yeah, I just hope I have the right sort of stuff." Hermione admitted. She knew both Blaise and Daphne had a lot more money than her, and given how exclusive and expensive Blaise's hotels were she was worried she might not have the right clothes for such a fancy place.

"You'll be fine." Draco reassured his friend. "Apart from the actual day of the wedding, I'm guessing the dress code will be pretty casual. And if it isn't, we can always get you some new clothes in France."

Hermione knew Draco meant he would get her some new clothes, but she didn't bother to point out she could fend for herself. She'd learnt long ago that Draco didn't object to spending his money on her, she'd also learnt it was better not to argue the point. The way Draco saw it money wasn't an issue for him, and he saw no harm in treating his best friend whenever he wanted to.

"Are you nervous?" Draco asked. He knew he was asking a lot from Hermione, and he also knew she wasn't entirely comfortable with lying to people about the state of their relationship.

"Yeah." Hermione admitted. "What if we can't pull this off? What if everyone sees through us?"

"They won't." Draco replied confidently. "Most people think we're a couple anyway."

Hermione nodded, knowing Draco was right about people thinking they were a couple. They were quite tactile towards each other and were often touching each other without thinking anything of it. When they went out it wasn't unusual for Draco to have his arm around her, and they were always hugging. Even now Hermione was quite happy sitting with her head on Draco's shoulder while his arm was around her waist.

"Although, if you're nervous we could always practise acting more like a couple." Draco suggested with a wicked grin.

"If you're going to suggest we practice kissing again, forget it." Hermione snorted.

Several times in the past few weeks, Draco had suggested they practise kissing, since in his opinion they would need to share a few kisses to keep people off the scent. Hermione hadn't been opposed to kissing Draco, but she kept refusing so she didn't embarrass herself. She didn't trust herself not to get too carried away and snog him senseless, but at least if she did that in France she could put it down to acting the part of a loving girlfriend.

"I still reckon we need to practice." Draco continued, not dropping the subject. "What if the first time we go to kiss its awkward and everyone notices."

"Why would it be awkward?" Hermione questioned. "I've been told I'm a good kisser, and with all the practice you've had, you have to be okay."

"Okay?" Draco looked at Hermione in indignation. "I'll have you know I'm better than okay. One witch even claimed I gave her an orgasm, just by kissing her."

"That is so not true." Hermione laughed.

"To be fair I think she just wanted a second date and was trying to flatter me into agreeing to one." Draco conceded. "But still, I'm a very good kisser."

"Orgasmic even." Hermione said, rolling her eyes.

"You'll be eating your words before long, Hermione." Draco warned. "I swear, one kiss from me and you'll be begging me for more."

Hermione didn't doubt Draco's words were true and one kiss would have her eager for more, but she wasn't giving him the satisfaction of knowing that. "And what if you're the one begging for more?" She asked, smiling sweetly at her friend.

"I guess we're just going to have to wait and see, won't we." Draco replied.

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**A/N - I forgot to mention when I posted the first chapter that there will be no set days for this story being updated. However, since the story is already finished it will likely be updated every couple of days. **


	3. Chapter 3

It was late on Sunday night that Draco and Hermione got an international port key, which took them from Sydney to Blaise's hotel in the south of France. With the time difference between the two countries it meant they arrived in France around midday. The pair touched down, with their luggage in tow, in a room specially designed for portkey transportation.

"Ugh." Hermione groaned as she regained her focus. "I hate port keys."

"I know." Draco chuckled. Every time Hermione headed off on holiday she complained about using port keys, but they were the easiest way of magically moving from country to country.

"I still say we should have flown." Hermione said. She had suggested they travel the muggle way, but Draco hadn't been keen.

"And I still say, there's no way you're getting me in one of those metal boxes muggles fly in." Draco retorted. "There's no way, that's a safe way to travel."

"This coming from a guy who flies around on a piece of wood for fun." Hermione shot back.

"There's nothing wrong with my broomstick." Draco argued. "Besides, it's not as if I'm flying for hours on it, and certainly not over any oceans."

"Okay, I get it, you're scared." Hermione grinned mischievously at Draco.

"I am not scared, I just value my life." Draco huffed.

Hermione laughed at Draco, as she picked up her case. "Come on, we better be going. Didn't you say Blaise would be waiting for us?"

"Yeah, he's meeting us in reception." Draco answered. Picking up his own case, he then plucked Hermione's out of her hand. "I'm just being a good boyfriend." He explained when she looked at him in bewilderment.

With Draco carrying the cases, Hermione moved to the door and they exited the port key room. The couple emerged into a short hallway, with another three doors beside the room they'd just exited. On the wall directly opposite the doors was a sign pointing them towards reception. As they headed in the direction the sign pointed, Draco explained that the other rooms were probably also equipped to handle port key arrivals or possibly people apparating to the hotel.

The reception area of the hotel was light and welcoming. The light wooden reception desk was directly opposite the large double doors, which were standing wide open and letting in the sunshine. Near to the door where Hermione and Draco had exited, were several more doors, leading to other parts of the hotel. On the wall opposite them stood three white marble fires and a few more doors. There was also a few comfortable chairs situated beside the front doors, and that was where a tanned Blaise Zabini was sitting waiting for his guests.

"Draco." Blaise grinned widely and jumped up the moment he spotted his friend.

"Hey Blaise." Draco was equally as pleased to see his friend as the two wizard exchanged greetings. "You remember Hermione, don't you?" He said, making sure not to forget his pretend girlfriend.

"Of course I do." Blaise said. Turning his attention towards Hermione, he gave her a wide smile. "It's nice to see you again, Hermione."

"It's nice to see you too." Hermione smiled back at Draco's friend. She immediately liked the handsome wizard, and could see why Draco referred to him as a charmer. "And congratulations on your wedding."

"Thanks." Blaise replied. "I still can't believe I'm settling down. This time next week I'll be a married man."

"I've got to admit, I never thought I would see this day." Draco told his friend. "I didn't think you had it in you to settle for just one witch."

"Neither did I, not until I got together with Daphne." Blaise confessed.

"Speaking of Daphne, where is she?" Draco asked.

"She's on the boat." Blaise replied. "I'm the one ushering the guests down to the harbour."

"Boat?" Draco frowned. "What boat?"

"It's called Daphne's Delight, it's my latest venture." Blaise answered. "It's a luxury yacht that I've had outfitted for special events. The wedding is the test run."

"Are you telling us we're spending the week on a boat?" Draco questioned his friend.

"Yeah, we're cruising the Mediterranean." Blaise nodded. "Did I not mention this in my letter?" He asked innocently.

"No, you bloody well didn't." Draco snapped. "I can't believe you expect me to spend a week out at sea with Astoria. I'm likely to chuck the annoying cow overboard."

"Such a charmer you've landed yourself there, Hermione." Blaise grinned at the brunette witch. He'd expected such a reaction from Draco, which was why he'd accidentally forgot to mention it when he wrote to his friend.

"He is, isn't he?" Hermione chuckled, placing a soothing hand on Draco's arm.

"Sorry, I was just taken by surprise." Draco said. "I was expecting to spend the week exploring your new hotel."

"Instead you get to explore my new boat." Blaise grinned. "Come on, I'll take you down to the harbour and Daphne can get you settled in."

As Blaise turned and headed out of the front doors, Draco and Hermione shared a worried look before following him. They hadn't prepared for being shut on a boat, out on the sea for a week. Even if the boat was large, which it would undoubtedly would be, it would still mean more contact with the other guests. In such close proximity to other people it would be easier for them to mess up and reveal the true status of their relationship.

"Do you think we can still pull this off?" Hermione whispered to Draco.

"Yeah, we'll just have to be even more careful." Draco whispered back. "Even if it appears there's no-one around we'll still have to act as though we're together, we don't want someone popping up unexpectedly and catching us out."

"You're going to owe me one hell of a favour for this." Hermione muttered.

"Don't worry, I'll make it up to you." Draco grinned.

Hermione smiled back at Draco as the pair continued to follow Blaise down to the harbour. As they walked Blaise pointed out a few local sights, and after about a ten minute walk they arrived at the harbour. The harbour was quite full of boats of various sizes, but Blaise's vessel immediately stood out. It was a brand new white boat, with emerald writing on the side. It was also at least twice the size of the next largest boat.

"It's almost as big as a cruise ship." Hermione commented as they approached the boat.

"Daphne's Delight is far better than any cruise ship." Blaise boasted. "Like my hotel's, it's exclusive and luxurious."

"From down here it looks amazing." Hermione said as they arrived at the side of the boat.

"It's ever better when you get aboard." Blaise grinned happily. "Come on, let's get you two settled."

Blaise led the way up the ramp, which was connecting the boat to the harbour. When Draco and Hermione arrived on deck of the boat they found Daphne waiting for them. Unfortunately she wasn't alone, her sister Astoria was with her, wearing the tiniest bikini possible.

"Draco." Astoria called, running forward and flinging herself at the blond. Draco almost dropped the cases, trying to stop himself from falling over as he was pounced upon. "I've missed you so much. We're going to have so much fun this week."

"This is Hermione." Draco told Astoria as he pushed her off him. "My girlfriend." He added, placing the cases beside his feet and wrapping his arm around Hermione.

"It's nice to meet you, Astoria." Hermione smiled at the younger witch as she looked at the couple in disbelief.

"Girlfriend?" Astoria repeated, totally ignoring Hermione's greeting. "How long have you had a girlfriend?"

"About two years now." Draco answered smoothly. He and Hermione had already decided on what to tell people about their relationship. Basically they were going to tell the truth about how they re-met and became friends, the only lie was telling people they'd started dating two years previously.

Instead of responding, Astoria visibly scrutinised Hermione before turning around and stalking off. Once Astoria had disappeared through a door, Daphne stepped forward to greet her guests. After hugging Draco and greeting her old friend, she turned to Hermione.

"Sorry about Astoria." She said apologetically.

"Don't worry about it." Hermione smiled at the other witch.

"Thank you both so much for coming." Daphne gushed. "We really appreciate it."

"I wouldn't have missed it for anything." Draco reassured his friend.

"Right, I'll leave you two in Daphne's capable hands. I've got to get back to the hotel, we're expecting some more guests to arrive." Blaise said.

"When do we depart?" Draco asked.

"This evening." Blaise answered. "By then everyone will be here, and we'll be off out into the open waters."

Quickly saying goodbye, Blaise headed back down onto the dock and started to head back to the hotel. On the deck of the boat, Daphne pulled out her wand and tapped at the two cases sitting beside Draco's feet. The two cases disappeared, and Daphne explained she'd sent them to their cabin.

"I thought I could show you to your cabin now." Daphne said. "I'm guessing with the time difference you're both pretty tired. I thought you might appreciate a nap before this evening."

"That would be great, we are a bit tired." Draco admitted.

"We're all having dinner in the dining room at seven." Daphne explained. "I'll take you to your cabin via the dining room, so you know how to find it. After that we're launching the boat and Blaise wants to make a big deal of it, so there's fireworks and cocktails up on the main deck."

"It sounds lovely, Daphne." Hermione smiled, as Daphne led them down below deck.

"I hope so." Daphne sighed. "Blaise will be so disappointed if this week isn't a success. He wanted to give me the perfect wedding, and he thought this would be pretty unique."

"It is that." Draco said. "And I'm sure the week will be great."

Daphne smiled appreciatively at Draco as she pointed out various rooms to the couple. After heading down a second set of stairs, Daphne led them into a vast dining room. The room was massive, with a long dining table already set up and laid out ready for dinner. Both Draco and Hermione were impressed with the room and after complimenting Daphne, who admitted in having a say in the décor of the entire boat, they continued on with their tour.

Another set of stairs led down to the sleeping quarters, and Daphne explained that the cabins had been extended so they were larger than normal. Daphne led the couple to a door in the middle of the corridor and producing a key from her pocket, she opened the door.

"I'm afraid at the minute we've only got one key." She said as she handed it to Draco.

"That's fine." Draco said. "I'm sure we can manage."

"I'll leave you to settle in." Daphne said to the couple. "If you do want to explore the boat, feel free. See you at dinner."

After saying goodbye to Daphne, Draco and Hermione stepped inside the cabin. Daphne was right, it was larger than you would expect a cabin on a boat to be, but it was nowhere near as big as the suite they'd been planning on sharing. Sharing a room was something they'd been expecting but Draco had insisted the suites at Blaise's hotel were so big that sharing wouldn't be a problem. However they would be in much closer proximity in the cabin, and apart from the bed there was nowhere else to sleep. The only other seat was a chair in front of the vanity.

"This looks nice." Draco commented, as he looked around. Despite not having much in it the whole room looked and felt expensive and luxurious.

"Nice bathroom." Hermione said, opening the door that led to the bathroom. The bathroom wasn't massive, but there was a small bathtub, a shower, toilet and sink, all of which were spotless and were of the highest quality.

"Do you want to unpack now, or later?" Draco asked, gesturing to the two cases that were sitting at the bottom of the bed.

"Later." Hermione said, stifling a yawn. "If I'm actually going to be alert tonight, I need some sleep."

"It looks like we're going to have to share a bed." Draco remarked, eyeing the surprisingly large bed up. In all their previous discussions about the trip, Draco had been planning on sleeping on a sofa in the hotel suite, but that was no longer an option.

"I'm sure we can manage." Hermione said as she sat on the end of the bed and pulled her socks and shoes off. "Just keep your hands to yourself."

Draco nodded as he sat down on the other side of the bed and removed his own shoes and socks. Setting an alarm on his wand, he then settled back on the bed and was joined by Hermione. Neither of them bothered to get undressed or get under the covers as they were just planning a quick power nap before the evening's activities.

As they lay in silence, each of them trying to drop off to sleep, they both thought about their new sleeping arrangements. They were both acutely aware of the other one lying inches away and they were both struggling to keep their hands to themselves. All Hermione wanted to do was roll over and curl up next to Draco, and all he wanted to do was wrap Hermione in his arms. Eventually the tired pair drifted off to sleep, neither of them realising they had subconsciously moved towards each other.


	4. Chapter 4

Sitting at the vanity, Hermione watched Draco through the mirror as she put the finishing touches to her own outfit. After a couple of hours sleep the pair had risen feeling brighter and ready to enjoy themselves. After unpacking, one at a time they had used the bathroom, before Draco had gone back into the small room to dress while Hermione was in the cabin. Once Hermione was decent, Draco returned to the cabin and the pair had finished getting ready together.

Even though they expected the evening's to be dressier than during the day, Draco was still confident there would still be a slightly less formal atmosphere and they wouldn't have to dress up too that in mind, Draco was wearing black trousers and a light grey shirt, although he'd decided not to bother with a tie. Hermione meanwhile was wearing a sapphire blue one shouldered dress that ended just above her knees. She'd also pinned her hair up, leaving just a few tendrils framing her face.

Once Hermione had spritzed herself with her favourite perfume, she decided to add some jewellery. She put in a pair of deep blue teardrop earrings, and slid a silver and blue set of bangles onto her wrist. When she reached up to put a necklace on that matched her earrings, Draco appeared behind her and took the necklace out of her hands.

"Allow me." Draco fastened the necklace around Hermione's neck, before leaning down and giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. "You look beautiful."

"Thanks." Hermione smiled at Draco through the mirror before turning around to face him. "You're looking pretty good yourself."

"I know." Draco grinned cockily, before holding out his hand and helping Hermione to her feet. "I guess we better get going."

Hermione nodded and grabbed her blue clutch bag. After leaving the cabin and locking it, Hermione put the key in her bag before the couple made their way to the dining room. On the way there they met an older couple who Draco introduced Hermione to as Daphne's parents. The Greengrasses seemed like perfectly nice people as they greeted Draco in a friendly manner and made Hermione feel welcome.

When the two couples reached the dining room, Blaise and Daphne were already there. While Daphne spoke to her parents, Blaise approached Draco and Hermione. Leading them into the room he handed them both a drink from the bar in the corner, before introducing them to a few other guests. Most of the people they were being introduced to were family members of Blaise and Daphne, as Blaise had already explained it was a smallish affair. After talking to Blaise's mother and her latest husband for a while, Draco turned around and spotted a familiar figure entering the dining room.

"Theo." Draco declared, happy to see his friend. Since moving to Australia he hadn't seen his old friends much, and he hadn't heard much from Theo either.

"Draco." Theo Nott grinned as he approached his friend. "It's good to see you, mate."

Following behind Theo was a redheaded witch, and Hermione gasped when she spotted who it was.

"Ginny."

"Hermione." Ginny cried, rushing forward and embracing her friend. "You look great." She declared, pulling back and looking at the witch she hadn't seen for years.

"So do you." Hermione said, getting a good look at her friend. Ginny was wearing a long, flowing green dress and looked much more sophisticated than the last time Hermione had seen her. "What are you doing here?" She asked.

"We're here for the wedding. Theo's my boyfriend." Ginny grinned, looping her arm around Theo's as he chatted with Draco.

"What happened with Harry?" Hermione questioned. When she'd left Britain, Ginny and Harry had been very much a couple.

"We split up a few months after you left." Ginny admitted. "We're still great friends, in fact I think we're better friends than we've ever been."

"So how did you end up with Theo?" Hermione asked.

"I was injured during a Quidditch match and Theo was my healer." Ginny answered. "We flirted as he fixed me up, and then when I was ready to go he asked me out for a drink."

"That was three years ago, and we've been happy together ever since." Theo added, joining in the conversation as his own catch up with Draco had ended. "And how about you two?" He asked. "How did you end up together?"

"When I bought my penthouse in Sydney, I discovered Hermione was my neighbour. We became friends and things just progressed from there." Draco answered. As he was talking he slid his arm around Hermione's waist, and she moved closer to him.

"I'm so pleased for you." Ginny smiled at Hermione. "You two look so happy together."

Hermione was just about to respond when she spotted another couple entering the dining room over Ginny's shoulder. The witch in the daring red dress was Pansy Parkinson, but Hermione was shocked to find the wizard at her side was Harry.

"Draco." Pansy squealed excitedly as she rushed forward and embraced the blond.

"Hey, Pans." Draco hugged Pansy back, before releasing her from his arms. "You're looking good."

While Draco and Pansy caught up, Hermione turned to Harry, who was just standing looking at her in bewilderment.

"Are you not saying hello, Harry?" She teased.

"Of course." Harry smiled, before rushing forward and hugging Hermione. "I've missed you, Hermione." He whispered.

"I've missed you too." Hermione replied. "Although I didn't expect to see you here."

"I never expected to see you either." Harry said.

As Pansy returned to Harry's side, Draco once again recited their fake story of how they got together. Pansy and Harry then told how they'd been set up on a blind date by Theo and Ginny about eight months ago. Even though both Harry and Pansy insisted their relationship was still early days and was nothing serious, it was obvious that they thought the world of each other.

As the group were talking, Blaise and Daphne moved to join their friends. Blaise made sure everyone had drinks and were all getting along, while Daphne told them about the boat and what there was to do on board. The group were still happily chatting when Astoria came swanning into the room. She was wearing a skin-tight gold dress that just say covered her backside and was ridiculously low cut.

"Could she wear any less?" Blaise muttered to Daphne as the group set eyes on Astoria.

"I've warned her about dressing like that." Daphne sighed.

"It would appear she hasn't listened." Theo chuckled.

"Who hasn't listened to what?" Astoria questioned as she made her way over to the group and manoeuvred herself so she was standing next to Draco. "Hello Draco." She turned and fluttered her eyelashes at the blond, not bothering to wait for an answer to her earlier question.

"Astoria." Draco nodded politely at the younger witch, before turning to Blaise. "What time is dinner due to start?"

"Actually, we should be taking our seats." Blaise answered, knowing exactly what Draco wanted him to say.

"All the seats are marked with your name cards." Daphne said. "I intend to mix things up every night, so you'll get a chance to mingle with everyone."

"Just make sure I'm not next to Astoria at any time." Draco whispered to Blaise as the group headed towards the table.

"Of course." Blaise nodded.

Luckily for Draco he wasn't seated next to Astoria that evening. However she was sitting almost directly opposite him, and kept leaning over so he could see down her dress whenever he glanced her way. Not that he glanced her way that often, he was more than happy talking to Hermione, who was on one side, and Blaise, who was sitting on his other side.

Once dinner was over, Blaise made sure to announce they would be launching the boat soon and he'd organised for cocktails on the main deck. Daphne led the way to the main deck, where a cocktail bar was set up. Everyone grabbed a cocktail, and made their way towards the sides of the boat, as Blaise prepared for their launch.

The launch went smoothly, and once they were underway Blaise announced that fireworks would be going off soon. The firework display was actually coming from his hotel, but they would be able to see them from the boat. As they waited for the fireworks to start everyone remained on deck, chatting to old friends and making new ones.

While Hermione was catching up with Harry and Ginny, Draco was standing at the back of the boat, watching as they slowly made their way out of the harbour. Draco was rather caught up in his own thoughts, so he failed to notice Astoria approaching him. It was only when he felt a hand on his arm that he looked down and found Daphne's sister, snuggling up to him.

"It's so romantic out here, don't you think?" Astoria asked dreamily, all the time stroking her hand over Draco's arm.

"It is." Draco replied. "Providing you're with the right person."

"I can be the right person." Astoria offered, batting her eyelashes at Draco.

"I don't think so." Hermione's voice said from behind Astoria. Astoria turned round and glared at Hermione, but the brunette witch just ignored her as she looked at Draco. "Blaise says the fireworks will start in less than a minute. I was thinking we could watch them together."

"Of course." Draco smiled at Hermione as he reached out and took hold of her hand. Pulling her towards him, he settled her in front of him and wrapped both of his arms around her waist. "Thank you." He whispered as Astoria turned on her heel and stalked off.

"That's what I'm here for." Hermione replied.

"I'm pleased you're here." Draco said softly.

"So am I." Hermione admitted.

Anything else the pair might have wanted to say had to wait as the others started to gather beside them as the fireworks began. The fireworks display was pretty impressive, with the coloured sparks magically forming into things such as hearts and wedding bells. The big crescendo to the display included a bride and groom, before a large red heart ended the display.

"They were great." Daphne smiled at Blaise, and wrapped her arm around his waist. "Thanks, Blaise. I loved them."

"They were pretty impressive." Draco told his friend. "Very intricate and detailed."

"It took me quite a while to mange to find them." Blaise admitted. "In the end, Harry helped me out. He hooked me up with someone who can create specialist fireworks, and those were the result."

"George." Hermione exclaimed. He and Fred were the only people she'd ever seen create detailed fireworks like the ones they'd just witnessed. Their exit from Hogwarts at the end of Hermione's fifth year, which included a firework display, had been a major event and it had been talked about well into the following year.

"Yes." Blaise nodded. "He was more than willing to help. He's a bloody genius."

"He is rather clever." Hermione agreed. "It's nice that he's still working on his inventions and keeping the business going."

"I think we're going to head back below deck." Daphne said, shivering slightly. "Are you two coming?"

"Actually, I think I might head for bed." Hermione said. "The nap earlier was enough to get me through dinner, but I'm getting rather tired."

"Of course." Daphne nodded understandingly. "You go to bed, you want to be raring to go for the rest of the trip."

"Come on, let's go back to the cabin." Draco said, letting Hermione out of his arms but immediately taking hold of her hand.

"You don't have to come with me, you can have a drink if you want." Hermione offered. Just because she was tired, she didn't want Draco to think he had to accompany her back to the cabin.

"I'm pretty tired myself." Draco admitted. "I think an early night's in order for both of us."

After saying goodbye to their friends, Hermione and Draco headed back to their cabin while the others drifted off to one of the many lounge areas on the boat. The pair walked in silence and didn't speak until they were back in the cabin and the door was locked behind them.

"I'm not really sure this master plan of yours is working." Hermione told Draco as she removed her jewellery and sat down to take her make-up off. "Astoria doesn't seem overly bothered you supposedly have a girlfriend."

"She is pretty persistent." Draco conceded. "We'll just have to be more convincing tomorrow. We might have to act a bit more touchy-feely with each other. Are you okay with that?"

"It's fine." Hermione replied, finishing up at the vanity. Walking over to her chest of drawers, Hermione pulled out her pyjamas. "Do you mind if I use the bathroom first?"

"Go ahead." Draco said, perching on the bed.

Hermione smiled at Draco, before disappearing into the bathroom. Fifteen minutes later she emerged wearing a pair of lavender pyjamas, which consisted of a pair of thin bottoms and a vest top. While Draco headed into the bathroom, with his own nightwear, Hermione settled in the bed. She was slightly nervous about sleeping next to Draco, but at the minute she was too tired to really dwell on it. When Draco re-entered the bathroom he was just wearing a pair of dark green pyjama bottoms. Hermione had seen Draco topless on numerous occasions, but she couldn't help but check out his toned frame.

"I'll set an alarm on my wand for the morning." Draco said as he placed the piece of wood on the bedside table.

Hermione murmured an approval as Draco slid into bed beside her. Making sure not to encroach on each other's space the pair set about getting comfortable. No doubt if they hadn't been as tired they would have spent longer thinking about their sleeping arrangements, but as it was they were so tired that they both drifted off to sleep within ten minutes of settling into bed.


	5. Chapter 5

Hermione awoke to a gentle rocking sensation, and it took her a moment to work out what it was. Once she realised the motion was the sea, she suddenly remembered where she was and more precisely who was lying behind her. Hermione had to wonder why she hadn't registered Draco's presence immediately, as they were lying pretty close together. Draco's head was nestled against her neck, and she could feel his steady breathing on her skin. His arm was wrapped around her waist, with his hand cupping her breast through the thin material of her top. Hermione could also feel his morning arousal pressed against her lower body, if it wasn't for their pyjama's one slight movement would have joined them intimately.

When Hermione felt Draco begin to stir behind her, she shut her eyes and pretended to be still sleeping. She remained lying still as Draco awoke and carefully began to disentangle himself from her. Hermione had to bite her lip to stop herself from moaning when Draco tried to remove his hand from her breast, and his thumb brushed against her already pebbled nipple. As it was the movement caused Draco to let out a low groan. Hermione continued to feign sleep as Draco finally got out of bed and headed to the bathroom, no doubt to deal with the large problem in his pyjama bottoms.

Once the door to the bathroom was shut, Hermione rolled over in the bed. Lying in the middle of the bed she tried not to think about what Draco could be doing in the bathroom, but she couldn't get images of her friend naked out of her head. Eventually in a bid to try and forget about Draco, Hermione got up and started to get her outfit ready for the day. At dinner the previous evening, Daphne had mentioned spending the afternoon beside the large pool that was on the other side of the boat to what they had been for the fireworks. With that in mind, Hermione picked out a white bikini and a yellow sundress to wear over the top of her bikini.

"Morning." Draco greeted, as he emerged from the bathroom. He was still just wearing his pyjama bottoms, but his hair was now wet from his shower. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah." Hermione nodded. Without thinking she quickly scanned over Draco's body and noticed his morning erection had gone. "Did you?" She asked, pulling her eyes back up to her friend's face.

"I did." Draco replied. "The slight rocking of the sea is quite calming."

Hermione agreed about the sea, and after checking Draco was finished in the bathroom she picked up her bikini and dress and headed into the small room. After having a nice, hot shower, Hermione magically dried her hair and got dressed. When she returned to the bedroom, Draco was already dressed in a pair of grey trousers and a light blue t-shirt.

"Are you ready to go and get something to eat?" Draco asked.

"Two minutes, I just need to grab my sandals and transfer everything to another bag." Hermione replied.

Once she was wearing her sandals, had brushed a bit of clear lip gloss over her lips and magically put everything she would need in a new bag, Hermione was ready to go. Like the previous evening once the cabin was locked, Hermione put the key in her bag and the couple set off to find the breakfast room. Luckily Draco could vaguely remember Daphne pointing the room out the previous day when they were heading down to the cabin.

"I think we might have to explore the boat after breakfast." Draco said to Hermione as they double checked other rooms, just in case Draco was wrong about the breakfast room's location.

"That sounds like a plan." Hermione agreed. "I would at least like to know where I'm going."

"I might mention it to Blaise. Knowing him, he'll organise a tour." Draco chuckled.

"At least then people wouldn't get lost." Hermione said, laughing along with Draco.

"Here we are." Draco announced as they arrived at the breakfast room. "See, we're not entirely lost."

There were a few people in the breakfast room, but none of their group of friends. Saying hello to a few relatives of the happy couple, Draco and Hermione grabbed some breakfast from the buffet and settled down at a table to eat. The pair had barely had a chance to begin when Astoria sauntered into the room, once again wearing a tiny, barely there bikini. Spotting Draco she grinned widely, grabbed a glass of orange juice, and sashayed over to where Draco and Hermione were sitting.

"You don't mind if I join you, do you?" She asked, sliding into the seat next to Draco and smiling at the blond.

"I guess not." Draco grumbled. He would really like to tell her to get lost, but a few of her relatives were in the room and he didn't want to cause any trouble on Daphne and Blaise's wedding week.

"Isn't the boat just the best?" Astoria gushed, seemingly oblivious to both Hermione's presence and the fact Draco was less than enthused to be sitting with her. "I just love the rocking motion in bed. I bet having sex while at sea is amazing, the movement of the waves must help increase the pleasure you experience."

"It's the best." Hermione told Astoria as she took hold of Draco's hand. "We were at it all night and it was the best sex we've ever had. Wasn't it Draco?"

"Definitely." Draco grinned. "I can't wait until bed time."

"Neither can I." Hermione smirked.

Deciding it was time to give Astoria a very clear message that Draco was out of bounds, Hermione leant forward and pressed her lips against his. If Draco was surprised he didn't show it, he automatically tangled one hand in her hair and pulled her closer to him with the other. When his tongue sought entrance to her mouth, Hermione allowed him to deepen the kiss. As Draco's tongue explored her mouth, Hermione let out a contented sigh as she pressed herself closer to the blond. He'd been right, he was an amazing kisser and Hermione was already eager for more.

"Whoa, break it up." Blaise's amused voice cut into the pair's actions. "We don't need such displays over breakfast."

When Draco and Hermione reluctantly parted, they found Blaise, Daphne, Theo and Ginny standing watching them in amusement. There was also no sign of Astoria, sometime during their steamy kiss she must have scarpered.

"Sorry." Draco smirked, sounding anything but. The kiss had been hot, and he was looking forward to more, even if they were just pretend on Hermione's part.

"Did I see Astoria leaving?" Daphne asked as everyone went to get their breakfast, before settling down at the table.

"She was here earlier." Hermione said. "But we didn't notice her leave."

"Of course you didn't." Blaise snorted. "The boat could have been sinking and you two wouldn't have noticed."

"You were rather wrapped up in each other." Theo chuckled.

"It was just a quick kiss." Draco shrugged.

"Wow, if that was a quick kiss, I'd hate to disturb you two doing anything more heated." Ginny joked.

"What are people's plans for the morning?" Daphne asked, eager to change the subject. She knew how racy the conversation could get with Blaise and his friends, and with her relatives coming and going from the room she didn't think now was an appropriate time for such things.

"Hermione and I thought we would check out the boat." Draco answered. "We want to have a look at what Blaise has provided. Plus it would be nice not to get lost all the time."

"That sounds like a great idea." Theo said. "Do you mind if Ginny and I join you? We were going to have a look around ourselves, it'll be much better together."

"Better yet, why don't I give you a tour?" Blaise suggested. "We can grab Harry and Pansy, and I can show you the sights. That will fill the morning in, then this afternoon we can head out to the pool for some sun."

Agreeing with Blaise's plan, Draco shot Hermione a satisfied smirk. No doubt next time they managed to talk he'd be bragging about how well he could predict his friend's behaviour. Hermione rolled her eyes at Draco, before returning her attention back to her breakfast. Pansy and Harry appeared before the group had finished eating and as they grabbed their own food, they agreed to be part of Blaise's tour.

"I'll be back in ten minutes." Blaise told the group as he and Daphne stood up. "Then we'll have the grand tour."

"I'll see you all at lunch." Daphne said. "I promised my grandmother I would spend the morning with her. She's helping me write my wedding vows."

Daphne and Blaise then left the breakfast room, leaving everyone else to finish breakfast. By the time Blaise returned ten minutes later they were all ready to have a tour of his vast boat.

"Come on, I'll show you Daphne's Delight." Blaise grinned happily at his friends.

For the rest of the morning Blaise proudly showed his friends around the boat and everyone agreed Daphne's Delight was incredible. There were several bars and lounges, and even two different nightclubs as well as a few cafes. Of course the main dining facilities were the large dining room, the breakfast room and the room where they would have lunch. There was also a casino, which Blaise promised them would be in action later on in the week. For relaxation there were a fair few indoor pools, but the large one was outside on the largest deck, and there was even a spa and beauty parlour. On the uppermost deck of the boat there was even a small Quidditch pitch, which gained appreciation from all the boys and Ginny.

"This place really is impressive." Draco told Blaise as they made their way back for lunch. "Are you going to use it like a hotel where people just book a cabin, or are you going to hire the entire thing out?"

"I was thinking both." Blaise answered. "Most of the time it'll pretty much be a floating hotel, but if the right occasion or customer wanted, I would hire the entire boat out."

"I have to say Blaise, I think you're onto a winner." Draco said. "This place could be a gold mine."

"If it goes well, I'm thinking of getting a few more boats." Blaise confided in his friend. "I'm even thinking of expanding my empire abroad. Maybe a cruise ship for the Caribbean."

"Let me know when it happens, I'll be your first guest." Draco said.

"If I get the Caribbean one done, you and Hermione might like to make first use of it." Blaise grinned. "It would be an ideal honeymoon location."

"We're nowhere near that stage." Draco told his friend, feeling a pang of sadness as he knew they never would be.

At the end of the week they would return home and everything would go back to normal, they would carry on just being friends. Unless of course Draco plucked up the courage to tell her the truth. Their earlier kiss hadn't felt like pretending to him, so maybe there was an attraction between them. Maybe all he had to do was show Hermione how good they would be together, before professing his love for her. Smiling at the idea of potentially telling Hermione about his feelings, Draco followed the others into the lunch room and settled down to eat.


	6. Chapter 6

Lunch was a casual buffet, very much like breakfast had been. Shortly after the group arrived in the lunch room, Daphne appeared and joined them for the meal. As they ate they discussed their plans for the afternoon, which consisted of relaxing by the large outdoor pool. As the discussion carried on it also became clear that none of the men were wearing their trunks underneath their clothes. All the women were wearing their bikinis underneath their dresses, but it would appear the men hadn't been that forward thinking.

Once lunch was over the group separated. The women headed off to the pool, while the men all had to head back to their cabins to change. Arriving at the pool, the four witches all peeled off their dresses and settled down on the sun loungers that were dotted around the pool.

"Can you believe we're on a boat in the middle of the Mediterranean, both of us with Slytherin boyfriends?" Ginny asked Hermione as they rubbed sunscreen onto their exposed flesh. "Whoever would have thought that back in school?"

"Not me." Hermione said with a laugh.

"I also wasn't sure if I would ever see you again." Ginny admitted quietly. "Once you left, I realised I'd been a bad friend to you. I should have kept in touch."

"We can always remain in touch after this week." Hermione suggested hopefully. "You could even come and visit me in Sydney."

"I'd like that." Ginny smiled. "Although, you could also come and visit us in London. I know Harry would love to see more of you."

"I'm sure we can arrange a visit." Hermione said.

"Excellent." Ginny grinned excitedly, mentally making plans for Hermione's visit. "Everyone will be so happy to see you."

"I'm not sure everyone will be." Hermione muttered, thinking about Ron. Last time she'd seen him things hadn't been great between them and he'd actually said he never wanted to lay eyes on her again.

"Ron regrets the way things ended between you two. He knows you weren't meant to be together, but he's sorry things got so bad you fell out." Ginny told Hermione. "I think he would actually quite like to see you."

"What's his life like now?" Hermione asked.

"Pretty good." Ginny replied with a smile. "He's an Auror, partnered up with Harry. He's also married and his wife has just announced she's pregnant."

"That's great." Hermione replied, genuinely pleased for Ron.

Before Hermione got a chance to ask more about Ron, the men arrived and settled down with the women. Draco settled on the lounger next to Hermione and handed her back the key to their cabin. As Hermione was putting the key back in her bag, she spotted the sunscreen and pulled it out.

"Put some of this on." She said, handing the bottle to Draco. "You don't want to burn."

With his fair complexion, Draco could burn quite easily so he was more than happy to obey Hermione and apply sunscreen to his body. When he was finished he handed the bottle back to Hermione, but instead of putting it away she squeezed a dollop onto her hand and made Draco turn around. Hermione then proceeded to rub the lotion onto the back of his neck and shoulders.

"Do you want me to return the favour?" Draco asked when Hermione told him she was all done.

"Maybe later." Hermione replied with a smile. "I'm fine for now."

"I'll look forward to it." Draco smirked.

Hermione chuckled slightly at Draco's flirting as she returned the sunscreen to her bag and pulled out her sunglasses. Putting her sunglasses on, she settled back on the lounger and joined in the conversation that was flowing around her.

For nearly an hour the four couples sunbathed and chatted happily. Blaise even headed over to the poolside bar and knocked up cocktails for everyone. However their peace was soon shattered by Astoria arriving at the pool. No-one had seen her since her disappearance at breakfast, but she never explained her absence as she settled on an empty sun lounger.

"Do you want a cocktail?" Daphne asked her sister.

"I'm alright." Astoria replied. "I just want to get a tan. I'm thinking I might try for an all over one."

Before Daphne, or anyone else, got a chance to respond, Astoria had unfastened her bikini top and pulled it off. Making sure she had everyone's attention she then proceeded to grab her suntan oil and rub it into her exposed breasts.

"Astoria, cover yourself up." Daphne cried, totally humiliated by her sister's behaviour.

"It's only a bit of flesh." Astoria shrugged. "It's not as if the boys haven't seen breasts before."

"Maybe so, but they don't need to see yours." Daphne told her sister.

"Especially as they're pretty small." Blaise whispered. "I've seen way better breasts than hers. Daphne's are much nicer, and they're certainly bigger."

"Thanks for telling everyone that, Blaise." Daphne hissed at her fiancé.

"I'm sure they can all see that for themselves." Blaise chuckled, gesturing at her bikini clad body. "In fact I would say all you four have bigger breasts than Astoria."

"You can stop looking so hopeful Blaise, we're not sunbathing topless." Daphne said.

"Or naked." Pansy added. "If Astoria's really wanting an all over tan, she has to sunbathe naked."

"I swear, if she removes her bottoms, I'm out of here." Theo muttered, keeping his voice down so that Astoria didn't hear him.

"Are you not enjoying the show, Theo?" Blaise questioned.

"Luckily, I don't think the show's meant for me." Theo responded.

Theo of course was right, Astoria's display wasn't meant for him, it was clearly meant for Draco. Astoria kept shooting the blond flirty looks as she continued to massage her suntan oil into her flesh.

"Does she not have any shame?" Ginny tutted, unimpressed with the younger witch's behaviour. "Surely even she can see Draco's with Hermione, and he's clearly happy."

"Let's try and ignore her." Hermione said, shooting Astoria an angry glare. She thought the younger girl had gotten the message at breakfast, but obviously she was very hard-headed and wasn't going to take no for an answer.

"That gets my vote." Draco said, lying back on his lounger and closing his eyes. "I have no desire to look at Astoria."

"Who does?" Pansy snorted. "Maybe if we all just pretend she's not here, she'll get the message and leave."

"I wouldn't count on it. She's a stubborn little thing." Blaise remarked.

"Do you think I should go and get Daddy?" Daphne asked, biting her lower lip. "He might be able to get her to stop flaunting herself."

"Just leave her Daph." Blaise told his fiancée. "No-one's interested in her tiny little boobs and her too skinny arse. She'll eventually get the message and stop flashing us."

"I hope so." Daphne sighed.

Looking one more time at her sister, who was lying on her back with her eyes closed, Daphne settled back on her own lounger. If Astoria kept behaving like this, she would have to try and do something about it. It just wasn't acceptable to be openly flirting with and throwing yourself at a man with a girlfriend, especially when his girlfriend was right there. Hopefully Blaise was right and Astoria would get the message if she was ignored, but something told her that more direct action would probably be required by the end of the trip.

On a whole the group managed to ignore Astoria, however it was sometimes hard to do when she kept applying fresh lotion every few minutes, complete with little moans as her hands roamed over her body.

"Does anyone fancy a swim?" Blaise asked. He was starting to get bored with just lying around, on a whole he was much more of an action sort of bloke.

While the others shook their heads and declined the offer, Draco jumped straight up. Like Blaise he was a man of action and lying around a pool was starting to get boring. Of course if it was Hermione lying topless, it might not have been as tedious.

"Come on, I'll race you." Blaise called, running for the pool and diving in with a loud splash.

Draco was in the water seconds after Blaise, and the two friends immediately started racing each other. While Draco and Blaise were in the pool, the others carried on talking and none of them noticed Astoria getting up and loosely tying her top. It was only the splash of her diving into the pool that caught their attention.

"She is one desperate witch." Pansy remarked as they watched the blonde witch swim towards Draco. "Why is she so desperate, Daphne? I mean she's quite attractive, so what's her problem with finding a boyfriend?"

"Her problem is her personality." Theo answered, before Daphne got a chance to speak. "Sorry Daphne, but your sister isn't very nice."

"I know." Daphne sighed sadly. "She's a spoilt little princess, who thinks she's entitled to whatever she wants. And unfortunately what she wants is Draco."

"I don't think that's going to happen." Harry remarked, nodding towards the pool where Draco had turned and swam away from her. "Something tells me that even without being with Hermione, he wouldn't be interested in her."

Hermione was only half listening to the conversation, her main focus was on Astoria chasing after Draco. Yet again she caught up with him, but this time her top 'accidentally' came loose. When she tried to rub her naked breasts against Draco, Hermione was happy to see that her friend quickly swam towards the side of the pool and got out of the water.

"I think that's enough sun for one day." He declared. "I'm heading back to the cabin for a rest before dinner."

"Good idea, I'll join you." Hermione said, jumping up and throwing everything in her bag.

Making sure Astoria was watching, Hermione made a show of taking hold of Draco's hand and leaning up to whisper something in his ear. Hermione told him to act as though they were off to spend a few hours in bed, which he duly did by pulling her into a searing kiss and grabbing her bum. Hermione more than happily returned the kiss and she played along by roaming her hands over Draco's wet skin.

"I think we need to be going before I lose control and we give everyone a free show." Draco said loudly enough for Astoria to hear.

"Come on then, let's go." Hermione grinned as Draco took hold of her hand and dragged her towards the door that led back down below deck.

"It looks like your master plan failed, Astoria." They heard Blaise remark as they headed back below deck.

"I can't believe her." Draco complained to Hermione as they made their way back to their cabin. "I really thought this morning had shown her I'm off limits."

"Something tells me Astoria doesn't understand limits." Hermione replied. "She wants you, and nothing will stop her from trying to achieve her goal. I'd bet that if she wanted Blaise, even the fact he's with her sister wouldn't stop her."

"Do you really think she would try and steal her own sister's boyfriend?" Draco asked as they reached the cabin and entered it.

"If she wanted him, then yes, I do." Hermione replied. "However it's not Blaise she wants, it's you."

"Well she isn't getting me." Draco declared.

"I should hope not, she's a vile little creature." Hermione said. "Daphne's really lovely, it's hard to believe they're sisters."

"Tell me about it." Draco chuckled ruefully. "I only agreed to go out with Astoria because I thought she would be like Daphne. If I'd known what she was like I never would have agreed to the date, even as a favour to a friend."

"It's too late to change that now. Now we have to work on keeping her away from you." Hermione sighed. "Since she seems incapable of taking hints, we're just going to have to continue on like today."

"You mean, be all over each other." Draco smirked.

"Yes." Hermione nodded. "Are you up for a few more days of hot and heavy action?"

"With you, of course I am." Draco replied. "That's why I asked you. If I had to get hot and heavy with anyone, I would rather it was with my best friend."

"And it wasn't too awkward for you?" Hermione checked.

"It wasn't awkward at all." Draco replied honestly. Kissing and holding Hermione had felt pretty natural, he just wished it wasn't all an act on her part. "Was it for you?"

"No, it wasn't awkward." Hermione admitted with a small smile. If anything kissing Draco and acting all cosy with him felt completely right.

"Good." Draco smiled. "Because I don't want this to ruin things between us. At the end of the week, I still want to have you as my best friend."

"You will." Hermione reassured Draco. Even though by the end of the week she figured she would be even more in love with the blond, she wasn't going to walk out of his life. Being Draco's best friend was better than not having him in her life, and Hermione wasn't going to let anything jeopardise their friendship, especially not her own feelings.


	7. Chapter 7

Keeping Astoria away from Draco over dinner proved easier than either Draco or Hermione had predicted. When Daphne had sorted out the seating she had placed her sister in between their grandparents, which was as far away from Draco as she could get. Astoria clearly wasn't happy with the arrangement and kept shooting Daphne dirty looks throughout the meal.

Just before dessert was about to be served, Blaise stood up and said he had an announcement to make. Blaise then announced that the following evening dinner would be earlier and after that the casino would be open for the night. Daphne also piped up and added that she expected anyone who chose to visit the casino to be dressed appropriately, which basically meant smart tuxedos for the men and evening gowns for the women.

"I was really looking forward to checking out the casino, but I don't have a tux." Theo sighed disappointedly. "I have a smart suit for the wedding, but I didn't bring my tuxedo."

"I don't even own a tuxedo." Harry remarked, sounding equally dejected as Theo.

"And I definitely don't have an evening gown with me." Pansy added.

"Don't worry, we've got it all in hand." Blaise chuckled at his disappointed friends. "We're heading towards Italy, and tomorrow morning we're going to dock for a few hours. I've arranged for us all to go to my Italian hotel, which has one of the best boutiques in the country. We can all get kitted out there."

"That sounds great Blaise, but I very much doubt I can afford to buy a tuxedo I'm only likely to wear once." Harry said.

"Don't worry, I've got that covered as well." Blaise said. "Anything you buy will be free of charge. Daphne and I decided on the casino evening being all fancy, so we feel we should pay for it."

"We can't let you do that." Ginny gasped. "That's too generous."

"Nonsense, you're our friends and we can treat you if we want." Blaise insisted. "Now I won't hear one more word of complaint. I expect everyone to be raring to go tomorrow, and I want everyone to pick something they like. Then tomorrow evening we're going to have a blast."

"Thanks Blaise, you're the best." Pansy smiled at her friend.

"I am pretty special." Blaise grinned, causing everyone to laugh.

After dinner Daphne and Blaise went off to spend some time with their families, while the others headed to one of the bars. Luckily Astoria chose not to join them, so it was just the six of them. After a couple of hours Blaise and Daphne showed up for a drink, before everyone headed back to their cabins for the night.

"Tonight was easier than I thought it would be." Hermione admitted as she was removing her makeup and jewellery.

"Unfortunately I don't think Daphne can keep Astoria with their grandparents the entire time." Draco sighed. "More than likely tomorrow she'll be back to throwing herself at me."

"Probably." Hermione agreed as she stood up, grabbed her pyjamas and headed towards the bathroom. "But I'm sure together we can keep her away from you."

Hermione smiled reassuringly at Draco, before heading into the bathroom and shutting the door behind her. When she was finished it was Draco's turn to make use of the bathroom. When Draco finished in the bathroom he set the alarm on his wand again and placed it on the bedside table as he climbed into bed beside Hermione.

"You know, I never did get to return the favour with the suntan lotion." Draco remarked.

"I'm sure there'll be other days." Hermione chuckled as she settled down to go to sleep. "Goodnight Draco."

"Night, Hermione." Draco replied as he also settled down to sleep.

* * *

When Draco awoke to his second morning on the boat, he found himself in the same position as he'd been the morning before. Hermione was wrapped securely in his arms, with his hand cupping her breast through her top. Like the previous morning he was also aroused, and it took all his self-control not to take advantage of the situation and grab an even better feel of his best friend. Being careful not to wake Hermione, Draco removed himself from the bed and headed off into the bathroom.

The second the bathroom door closed behind Draco, Hermione rolled over with a disappointed groan. She'd been awake for almost ten minutes, totally content to lie in Draco's arms. Of course she would have been happy to do more than just lie there, but almost as soon as Draco had woken up he was up out of bed. Clearly her best friend wasn't bothered that he kept waking up with her wrapped in his arms, at least not to the extent where he felt he had to have a good feel.

Pushing her disappointment away, Hermione got up and began finding an outfit for the day. She wasn't going to let her frustration over her feelings for Draco ruin the week. Apart from what was happening with Astoria, she was having a great time and was enjoying the time spent with Draco. Even though the pair had been friends for years, they'd never been on holiday together and she was enjoying spending time with him away from their normal environment.

By the time Draco finished in the bathroom, Hermione had her whole outfit ready and was just waiting for the blond to vacate the bathroom. When he re-entered the bedroom the pair exchanged friendly greetings, before Hermione headed into the bathroom to get ready. When she emerged she put the finishing touches to her outfit and gathered everything they would need in her bag, before they made their way to breakfast.

Everyone was already at breakfast when they arrived and after grabbing themselves something to eat Draco and Hermione joined their friends. Unfortunately Astoria was sitting at the table, but luckily she was in between Blaise and Daphne. However that didn't stop her from deliberately sitting forward, with her breasts almost escaping from the tight, low cut top she was wearing.

"We'll be docking in under an hour." Blaise told Draco, when his friend asked about the little excursion. "I've arranged some portkey's to take people directly from the boat to the hotel, and back again, but I was thinking we might all walk to the hotel. It's not far and it's a lovely day."

"We're up for that, aren't we?" Draco said, looking at Hermione for her approval.

"Definitely." Hermione agreed.

"Great." Blaise grinned. "There's no rush either. I thought we could remain in port until later this afternoon. That way people can also explore the rest of the town, if they want to."

Blaise's plan was met with delight and as breakfast continued he proceeded to tell his friends what the small town had to offer. By the time breakfast was over it was agreed that after visiting the boutique in Blaise's hotel, they would head into the small town, have lunch and have a good look around.

After breakfast the group headed up to the deck, to watch the boat pull into the Italian harbour. Without the structure of seating Astoria had managed to wrangle her way to beside Draco, and as she chatted mindlessly away to him, she kept running her hands over his arms. Hermione watched the interactions, noticing how bored and uninterested Draco was in the flirty blonde, but when Astoria started thrusting her chest at Draco she decided it was time to intervene.

Hermione walked over to where Astoria had cornered Draco, and sidled up to the blond wizard. "You don't mind if I join you, do you?" She asked innocently.

"Of course not. I'd much rather have you with me." Draco answered, immediately wrapping his arm around Hermione and placed a loving kiss on the top of her head.

Astoria let out a low growl and glared hatefully at Hermione, before turning around and stalking off to the other side of the boat.

"I don't think she's my biggest fan." Hermione smirked.

"She may not be, but I am." Draco grinned at Hermione. "I think you're pretty amazing."

"I'm sure you're slightly biased." Hermione retorted.

"Maybe." Draco shrugged. "But it's still true."

Hermione smiled at Draco, and the pair lapsed into silence as they watched the boat dock. Once the boat was securely docked, Blaise disappeared below deck to sort out the family members, while everyone else made their way off the boat and onto the dock. When Blaise finally joined them, he took hold of Daphne's hand and the couple led the way to the hotel.

Hermione made sure she was holding onto Draco's hand for the entire walk, and every time she saw Astoria looking at him she gave her a stern glare. Hermione's looks kept Astoria away from Draco, but she knew the second she left him on his own that Astoria would be back sniffing around. Luckily for Draco, Hermione was planning on sticking with him throughout their excursion.

When they reached Blaise's hotel he led them to the boutique, where Hermione and Draco did decide to separate. Hermione rather liked the idea of surprising Draco with her choice of dress, so she sent him off with Blaise, Theo and Harry while she headed off with the girls to do her own shopping. It didn't take Hermione long to find the perfect dress, and after having it wrapped up and labelled as hers, she went off to find Draco. When Hermione found Draco, he and the boys had finished shopping and were just browsing around.

"Do you have a dress?" Draco checked.

"Yes." Hermione nodded.

"Do you want to show me?" He asked.

"Not until tonight." She replied with a smile.

"Tease." Draco grinned back at Hermione.

As they continued to banter and flirt, Hermione spotted Astoria approaching them. With one withering glare aimed in the younger witch's direction, she turned and walked away from Draco. Hermione smiled at the sight of Astoria's retreating back, and returned her attention to Draco.

Once everyone had found an outfit, Blaise arranged for them all to be delivered back to the boat and placed in the right cabins. The group then headed into the town where they spent the next few hours exploring and having lunch. Several times Hermione caught Astoria eyeing Draco up, but since she was always at his side, the younger witch never approached him.

After a lovely few hours in the Italian town the group began to make their way back to the boat. Hermione and Draco were walking along hand in hand, both of them very aware that Astoria was just behind them. However they were ignoring the younger witch as they chatted about their day and the fun they'd had.

"Hermione." Harry called, passing Astoria and coming up beside the couple. "Do you have any plans for the rest of the afternoon?"

"I don't think so, why?"

"I was thinking you might like to have a chat." Harry said. "We haven't really had a proper chance to catch up, so I thought we could spend a few hours together. Pansy's going to go and get a massage and facial before tonight, and that's really not my thing."

"I would love to have a catch up." Hermione told Harry. "You don't mind, do you?" She asked Draco.

"Go ahead." Draco encouraged. "I'll probably just head back to the cabin for a few hours rest. I'll need my energy tonight to ensure that I win big at the casino."

"Okay, but no peeking at my dress." Hermione warned.

"As if I would." Draco feigned innocence at Hermione's suggestion he would look at her dress.

Hermione just laughed at Draco, knowing full well he would have at least considered sneaking a peek at her dress. He hated surprises and being told he couldn't look at something just made his natural curiosity worse.

When everyone arrived back on the boat, they decided to have a drink before they headed in separate directions for the rest of the afternoon. After the first drink Pansy headed off to the spa, with Ginny in tow. Blaise and Daphne stayed for a second drink, but as Blaise's hands started wandering they made a hasty retreat. Meanwhile, Draco and Theo had gotten talking and Hermione suspected that they would be in the bar for a while yet.

"Do you want to head on outside?" Harry asked Hermione.

"Yeah, why don't you grab us some drinks. I just need to nip to the bathroom." Hermione said. "I'll meet you up on deck."

While Harry went off to get some drink to take up onto the deck, Hermione quickly popped to the bathroom. It wasn't until Hermione was heading up onto deck that she realised she'd left her bag in the bar. Turning around she headed back into the bar, where she found Draco and Theo were still talking in the corner. However her bag, which had been under the table, was now sitting on the seat where Astoria had been sitting before leaving shortly after Pansy and Ginny.

"Have you moved my bag?" Hermione asked Draco as she picked it up.

"No, I haven't touched it." Draco answered.

"That's your bag?" Theo questioned, looking at the large white bag in Hermione's hands. "I thought it was Astoria's. I could have sworn she was rummaging through it earlier. I must have been mistaken."

"Yeah." Hermione muttered as she turned around and left the bar.

Heading out onto the deck she thought about what Theo had said and where she had found her bag. She didn't know why Astoria would be searching through her bag, but something told her she had been. Wondering if there was anything missing, Hermione stopped and searched her bag. When she realised the cabin key was missing, she swore under her breath. The little sneak had heard Draco say he was going back to the cabin for a bit, and it looked as though she was lying in wait for him. Deciding to head down to the cabin to check her theory, Hermione firstly headed to speak to Harry. After telling him she just had to pop back to her cabin for a minute, Hermione disappeared below deck. If she was in their cabin, Astoria was about to get a severe reality check. Hermione had been quite patient with her up until now, but it was time she got the message that she was never going to get Draco, no matter how much she flaunted herself and threw herself at him.


	8. Chapter 8

Astoria was ecstatic when she heard Harry asking Hermione if she wanted to spend some time with him. The annoying muggleborn witch was starting to get on her nerves, always throwing her dirty looks and hanging on Draco's arm. Maybe with her out of the picture for a few hours she could convince Draco that she was the better bet. No doubt Lucius and Narcissa disapproved of their son's choice of partner, whereas they would love for him to become involved with a pureblood like her.

Astoria's hopes of getting Draco alone soared even more when he told Hermione he would just head back to the cabin for a bit. Alone in a cabin she was convinced she could get the gorgeous blond into bed, but she wasn't sure how she was going to get into his cabin. Despite her best efforts Draco had so far remained uninterested in her, and Astoria wasn't confident in him inviting her into the cabin.

Luckily for Astoria the answer to her problem presented itself as the group settled down for a drink. Hermione placed her bag on the floor under the table, and promptly forgot about it as she chatted to the others. Astoria knew from the previous day that Hermione kept the key to their cabin in her bag, all she had to do was grab the key and go and wait for Draco to show up. Grabbing the key was pretty easy, Astoria just casually picked up Hermione's bag and rifled through it as everyone was busy chatting. When she had the key she left the bag on her seat as she followed Pansy and Ginny from the bar, no doubt the others thought she was going off to the spa with them.

With the key she'd nabbed, Astoria let herself into Draco and Hermione's cabin, making sure to leave the door unlocked as she shut it behind her. Since she wasn't sure how long she'd have until Draco showed up she decided to make herself comfortable. Kicking off her shoes she wriggled out of her tiny shorts and tight top, leaving herself in her skimpy black underwear. Astoria briefly debated whether to take her underwear off as well, but not wanting to appear too forward she left her bra and knickers on. She then hopped on the bed and settled back to wait for Draco to appear.

Astoria's wait was longer than she'd expected, but eventually she heard footsteps in the corridor outside. When the footsteps stopped outside the cabin she smiled seductively when the door started to open. However Astoria's smile soon dropped when the door opened fully and it wasn't Draco, it was Hermione.

"In the wrong cabin, are we?" Hermione questioned tightly. Even though she'd expected to find Astoria in the cabin, she wasn't very happy to see her lounging around in just her underwear.

"I was waiting for Draco." Astoria replied. "He asked me to meet him."

"Really?" Hermione raised an eyebrow at the blonde witch, totally amazed that she thought she could talk her way out of being caught trying to seduce Draco. "So, are you saying he gave you the key to the cabin?"

"Yes." Astoria lied. "He thought you were going to be busy with Harry."

"So while I was busy with Harry, he was going to be bedding you. Is that right?"

"I'm sure he was going to tell you about us sooner or later." Astoria smiled sweetly at Hermione.

"You must think I was born yesterday." Hermione chuckled as she advanced on Astoria. "Draco no more gave you the key than I did. You stole it."

"How dare you." Astoria huffed. "I did no such thing."

"You did. You stole the key and decided to wait here and try and seduce Draco." Hermione said. "I'm telling you now, it wouldn't have worked. If you couldn't get him into bed when he was dating you, what makes you think you can do it now? I can assure you, he doesn't need a cheap tart like you."

"I am not a cheap tart. I have more sex appeal than you." Astoria sneered at Hermione. "You must be a right bore in bed, you're certainly a bore everywhere else."

"Draco has no complaints." Hermione smirked.

"He'll not have any complaints when he beds me." Astoria retorted. "And he will bed me, it's only a matter of time. Before the end of the trip Draco will be mine, and there's nothing you can do about it."

"I wouldn't count on that." Hermione replied. Whirling around, she pulled out her wand and summoned Astoria's clothes to her.

"What do you think you're doing?" Astoria screeched when Hermione calmly walked over to the window and opened it.

"Getting rid of the trash." Hermione replied, before throwing Astoria's shoes and clothes out the window and into the sea.

"You demented bitch, those were mine." Astoria cried, jumping off the bed and running over to the window.

Before Astoria managed to reach the window, Hermione grabbed her wrist and yanked her in front of her.

"Unless you want to join your clothes in the sea, I suggest you leave." She hissed menacingly. "And you can keep your grubby little paws off Draco, he's mine. Do I make myself clear?"

"I'm not going to forget this." Astoria huffed as she pulled herself out of Hermione's grasp.

"Get out." Hermione ordered sternly.

Astoria took one final look at Hermione, before turning and fleeing the cabin. Hermione watched her go with an amused smirk, before she picked up the key that Astoria had left on the bedside table and left the cabin herself. Before heading back to Harry, Hermione stopped one of the staff on the boat and asked if they could do her a favour and change the bedding in her cabin. With Astoria now hopefully dealt with, Hermione headed back up on deck where she settled down for a nice long talk with Harry.

* * *

The casino evening was a big hit with everyone and all the passengers on board the boat were having a great time. Hermione and Draco were especially enjoying the evening, partly because Astoria had so far kept her distance from Draco, but mainly because they were just enjoying each other's company.

The evening had gotten off to a good start when Hermione had emerged from the bathroom in her long, emerald green evening gown. Draco had stared at Hermione for a long time before he regained his composure and said she looked gorgeous. Hermione was rather taken aback and thrilled by the compliment. It wasn't unusual for Draco to say she looked lovely or pretty, but he'd never called her gorgeous before. He also never looked at her with such blatant desire evident in his grey eyes.

Dinner was next and as usual the food was delicious, and the conversation flowed easily between everyone. The only slight disturbance was the dramatic entrance of Astoria, which occurred after everyone was already seated. Astoria herself didn't cause the commotion, but what she was wearing did. She was wearing a tight gold dress that was slit up to her thigh, it also plunged so far down her back that you could almost see the top of her bum and the front of the dress formed a v shape that ran all the way down to her navel. All in all she looked like a right tart with only a few strips of material covering her modesty. Astoria's father had been less than happy with his daughter's choice of dress, but she refused to change, claiming she didn't have anything else that was suitable.

Hermione was pleased to note that throughout dinner Astoria didn't pay too much attention to Draco. She occasionally shot longing looks in his direction but every time she spotted Hermione watching she glared hatefully at the older witch before turning her attention elsewhere. Unfortunately for Harry, Astoria was sitting next to him at dinner and her attention was firmly on him. Astoria spent almost the entire meal flirting with a clearly uninterested and slightly embarrassed Harry.

Hermione had to laugh when after dinner, as people were getting up to head to the casino, Pansy made a big show of grabbing onto Harry and giving him a deep kiss. Pansy then gave Astoria a glare that clearly said 'hands off my man', before her and Harry headed off to the casino arm in arm. Astoria was clearly intimidated by Pansy as after that she didn't look twice at Harry, instead her focus went onto Theo. At the casino she was all over Theo, despite Ginny being by his side practically the entire time. However it soon became clear to everyone that it was just a tactic to make Draco jealous. Despite flirting with another man, Astoria couldn't help but keep looking over at Draco, and she was unable to mask her disappointment when he wasn't paying her the slightest bit of attention.

Draco was fully aware of what Astoria was up to, but he was far too busy enjoying himself with Hermione. Hermione had never been to a casino before so Draco was taking her from table to table to teach her the basics of every game. Hermione was surprised to find that the vast majority of the games resembled muggle casino games, so she at least had a bit of basic knowledge of how some games worked. Even those that were totally alien to her, she picked up easily enough and within a few hours of being in the casino Hermione and Draco were gathering a decent amount of chips as they were winning quite regularly.

"I love this game." Hermione declared as she won yet more chips on roulette. "Do you think there's any casino's in Sydney?" She asked Draco as she scooped her chips up.

"I would have thought so." Draco answered. "Why?"

"I want to go." Hermione said, taking a large drink from her champagne glass. Champagne was available all over the casino, and the waiters that were carrying it around made sure everyone constantly had a drink of the bubbly liquid in their hands.

"I'm sure we can arrange that." Draco told Hermione as they made their way to the blackjack table.

"Excellent." Hermione grinned at Draco as she wrapped her arms around him and gave him a steamy kiss right in the centre of the casino.

Aware that everyone was watching them, and that Hermione was slightly tipsy, Draco kept the kiss as short as possible. When they parted he put his arm around Hermione's waist and the pair carried on to the blackjack table.

Instead of both playing separately, Hermione settled herself down on Draco's knee and they played together. Earlier in the evening, Hermione had been the one making the decisions in the game, and he was merely sitting with her, but now Hermione wasn't thinking clearly with all the champagne she'd drank and it was Draco that was playing the game. Not that he minded the role reversal, he was more than happy to play some blackjack while Hermione sat nuzzling at his neck.

Throughout the evening Draco couldn't help but notice that he and Hermione were the most tactile of all their friends. Draco almost constantly had his arm around Hermione, and when he didn't, she was holding onto him. Draco also noticed that apart from their heated kiss a few minutes earlier, they were acting no different from normal. All the touching and hugging was just a natural part of their friendship and it amused him that he and Hermione were more hands on in their friendship than their friends were in relationships.

As the evening progressed and Hermione continued to drink, Draco tried to persuade her to return to their cabin. Hermione however was having too much fun to leave, and she refused to head to bed until almost one in the morning. By that time she was swaying slightly on her feet and Draco had to keep a tight hold of her as they headed back to their cabin.

"This boat is rocking." Hermione giggled as she staggered around a corner, almost causing her and Draco to fall on the floor.

"It's not the boat, it's you." Draco chuckled. Hermione very rarely got drunk, but the odd times he'd seen her inebriated she'd been quite funny.

"No, it's the boat." Hermione insisted. "We're at sea you know, and the waves hit the boat making it rock."

"If you say so, sweetheart." Draco replied as they reached the cabin and he managed to open the door and manoeuvre Hermione inside.

"You called me sweetheart." Hermione smiled. "You love me."

"I love you more when you're not drunk." Draco said. "Now can you manage to get undressed, or do you need help?"

"I always knew you wanted to see me naked." Hermione laughed.

Draco rolled his eyes instead of replying. Chances were Hermione wouldn't really remember much in the morning, so there was no point in confessing how he really felt about her. What he needed to do was get her ready for bed and into bed without taking advantage of her in her intoxicated state.

"Come here." Draco gently pulled Hermione to him and turned her around. He then slid open the zipper on her dress and handed her the pyjama's that were sitting on the chair beside the bed. "Go and get ready for bed."

"Yes sir." Hermione giggled again, before walking very unsteadily to the bathroom.

Hermione was gone almost half an hour and just as Draco was going to check on her, she emerged from the bathroom. She was now ready for bed, and Draco helped her settle in before he made his own trip to the bathroom. When he returned to the bedroom, Hermione was sound asleep. Climbing into bed beside her, Draco placed a gentle kiss on Hermione's forehead, before settling down to sleep.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N – Thanks for all the great reviews, I'm thrilled so many people are enjoying Love Boat. I know people are itching for Draco and Hermione to admit their true feelings for each other, and I promise it will be happening very soon. But before that Astoria isn't quite finished yet, she still got a few more tricks up her sleeve. Enjoy!**

* * *

When Hermione woke up it felt as though her entire world was spinning. She briefly wondered if they'd hit a rough patch of sea, but then snippets of the previous evening came back to her. As she remembered just how much champagne she'd knocked back, Hermione realised the spinning was all in her head.

"Morning." Draco's cheerful voice sounded from beside the bed. Hermione groggily looked up to find Draco standing beside her. "Here, this will help." He said, handing her a glass of orange liquid.

"What is it?" Hermione eyed the glass warily, not sure that she wanted to drink an unknown substance.

"It'll help with the hangover." Draco answered.

Trusting Draco not to poison her, Hermione sat up and threw the orange liquid down her throat. Hermione grimaced at the bitter taste, but almost immediately the pounding in her head started to ease up. She also started to feel a bit more stable, it no longer felt as though the boat was in rough sea.

"Is that better?" Draco asked, taking the empty glass from Hermione's hand.

"It is. Thank you." Hermione smiled at Draco, grateful for his help in alleviating what would surely have become a monster hangover.

"What are best friends for?" Draco grinned.

"Now I'm feeling a bit better, I can go and have a shower and we can head for breakfast." Hermione said as she swung her legs out of bed and gingerly stood up. "Not that I'll be eating much." She added as she felt slightly queasy.

"You'll certainly not be eating breakfast. That was a good few hours ago." Draco chuckled.

"What?" Hermione shrieked in surprise as she checked the time. "Bloody hell, it's nearly lunch time. Why didn't you wake me?"

"I tried, but you weren't having any of it." Draco replied. "The one time I did manage to get your eyes open you told me to get my sexy self back to bed, before you promptly rolled over and started snoring."

"I did not." Hermione cried, blushing furiously at the thought of calling Draco sexy to his face. She knew full well that in her drunken state it was very likely she'd let something slip about her feelings for Draco.

"You did." Draco grinned. He'd rather enjoyed Hermione calling him sexy, he just wished she hadn't been drunk at the time.

"Please say I didn't do anything else embarrassing." Hermione groaned.

"Well…" Draco teased, causing Hermione to look at him in panic. "Don't worry, you didn't." He reassured his friend with a smile.

"Thank Merlin for that." Hermione muttered. "I think I'm going to go for a shower now, it might help me feel more alert."

Forty minutes later, Hermione was dressed and felt much better. She still didn't feel much like eating, but she at least felt human again. Despite not fancying food herself, Hermione accompanied Draco to the lunch room. She could at least have a drink and talk to her friends.

"Here they come." Blaise called as Draco and Hermione entered the lunch room. "I was beginning to think you'd slipped away with your winnings. You two practically cleaned out the casino last night."

"We won?" Hermione questioned with a frown. She could vaguely remember Draco teaching her the basics of some of the games, but she couldn't remember winning.

"Yeah." Blaise nodded as the couple sat down at the table. "Quite a bit. A few thousand, I think."

"Nearly five." Draco confirmed.

"We won nearly five thousand galleons." Hermione whispered unbelievingly.

"Yeah, we make a killer team." Draco grinned. "We'll definitely be trying our luck back home."

"As long as you don't try your luck here again. I don't think I can afford it." Blaise replied, grinning so that Draco and Hermione knew he wasn't really mad at them winning.

Draco laughed at his friend, before heading off to grab some food. Hermione still didn't feel like food, but she agreed to have a cup of tea. Once Hermione had drunk her tea she felt a bit more like food and she managed to eat a chicken salad sandwich before the group left the lunch room.

"I don't know about anyone else, but I fancy a lazy afternoon." Pansy said. "I just want to chill out beside the pool."

"I think Astoria was going for a swim, why don't we just head out onto the cocktail deck. I can whip up some cocktails and we can just enjoy the sun." Blaise suggested. The 'without Astoria bothering us' wasn't said, but everyone knew that's exactly what he meant.

Everyone happily agreed with Blaise's idea and they headed up onto the cocktail deck. For a few hours the group lounged around, talking and drinking cocktails. However their peace was shattered when Astoria suddenly put in an appearance. As usual she was wearing a skimpy bikini and was fluttering her eyelashes at Draco. Clearly the warning from Hermione the previous day had been forgotten.

"I didn't know you lot were out here." She cried, settling herself down on a spare sun lounger. "You should have given me a shout, I was just in the pool over the other side of the ship."

"We didn't realise." Blaise lied.

"Well I'm here now." Astoria grinned. "Blaise, be a good boy and get me a cocktail."

Blaise looked as though he was about to tell Astoria where to go, but a pleading look from Daphne stopped him in his tracks. Sighing, Blaise shot his fiancée a look telling her he was only running after Astoria for her, before getting up and heading to the bar. Returning with Astoria's cocktail, he practically shoved it in her hand, before settling back down on his own sun lounger.

"Hmm, it's a bit bitter." Astoria complained, sipping on the cocktail.

"That's a shame, I made it especially for you." Blaise replied. "I thought bitter matched you perfectly." He added under his breath so his future sister-in-law couldn't hear.

Despite complaining about her cocktail, Astoria quickly knocked it back and settled down to work on her tan. After a few minutes she grabbed her suntan lotion and turned over so she was lying on her front. Undoing her bikini top, she turned to Draco and held the tube out to the blond wizard.

"Will you do my back?" She asked pleadingly.

Before Draco could respond, Hermione had jumped up from her lounger and grabbed the bottle from Astoria's hand. "Allow me."

Astoria didn't get a chance to react before Hermione was standing over her. When Hermione suddenly squirted a large dollop of the cold lotion onto her skin, Astoria let out a loud squeal. Hermione continued to pour lotion onto Astoria's back, until it started to drip down her sides. All the time Astoria continued to squeal, while everyone else was in hysterics watching the show.

"I think we're going for a walk now." Hermione announced as she placed Astoria's lotion beside her and pulled Draco up off his lounger.

Draco happily jumped up and wrapping his arm around Hermione's waist the couple headed off for a walk. As they left the deck, they could hear their friends still laughing at Astoria. They could also hear Astoria squealing and yelling about what Hermione had done to her.

"Did I go too far?" Hermione asked Draco as they headed back below deck.

"No, it was perfect." Draco smiled. "You were brilliant. And to be honest Astoria was asking for it. You never know, that might make her back off a bit."

* * *

After leaving everyone up on deck, Draco and Hermione spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the boat and having fun on their own. When they headed for dinner, they hoped that Astoria had gotten the message and would be backing off but unfortunately for Draco it looked as though she had no intention of backing off.

"I don't believe it. Come and look at this." Draco hissed to Hermione. Draco was just having a look to see who he was seated with that evening for dinner and he'd spotted his name card sitting next to Astoria's. "Blaise promised me, I wouldn't have to sit next to the bloody woman."

"We can easily fix that." Hermione grinned. Checking no-one was paying attention, Hermione took hold of Draco's name card and swapped it with hers, which was on the other side of Draco's. Now she was sitting next to Astoria and Draco was sitting next to Harry.

"Now you have to put up with her over dinner." Draco pointed out.

"I'll just talk to you." Hermione replied. "And considering Blaise is on the other side of Astoria, I don't think she's going to be getting much conversation tonight."

"No, I don't think she will." Draco chuckled. "For some reason Blaise isn't her biggest fan."

"I can't say I blame him. She's really rather annoying." Hermione replied. "Now why don't we go and grab some drinks and settle down at the table. We also need to grab Harry and sit him down."

"Why?" Draco questioned as they headed for the bar to get their drinks.

"So Astoria can't mess with the seating plans again." Hermione replied. "Daphne wouldn't have put her next to you, so I'm guessing it was her that changed the names around. However if you're already at the table with Harry and I on either side of you, you'll be safe. There'll be no way she can get next to you."

"Hermione, you're a genius." Draco grinned. "You go and grab Potter and I'll bring our drinks."

"On one condition. You call Harry by his first name."

"Do I have to?" Draco complained. "It's just weird. He'll always be Potter to me."

"You had no problems calling me by my first name when we first became friends." Hermione argued.

"You know that's not true." Draco laughed. "I used to slip up all the time and call you Granger."

"But you did eventually get used to using my given name. And that never would have happened if you hadn't tried to use my first name. All I'm asking is that you do the same with Harry." Hermione said. "Please Draco, for me."

"Okay, I'll try." Draco sighed. "But I can't promise anything. I want you to know that I'm doing this because you asked, not because Potter might be an okay bloke when you get to know him."

"Why ever you're doing it, I'm grateful. Thank you, Draco." Hermione smiled. She'd already spotted Draco and Harry talking a few times and she suspected the pair actually got along really well.

"I'm sure you can think of a fun way of thanking me." Draco suggested flirtatiously.

"We'll see." Hermione smiled. "Now get the drinks, and I'll go and get Harry."

While Draco grabbed a couple of drinks, Hermione headed across the room to where Harry and Pansy were sitting in the corner. After Hermione quickly explained what had happened, Harry and Pansy were more than happy to move and settle at the table.

"That girl is just so stubborn." Pansy remarked as she settled into her seat next to Harry. "Why doesn't she just give up?"

"I've been asking myself that very same question." Draco sighed. "I knew she was going to be after me on this trip, but I didn't know she was going to be this bad."

"You should be grateful you've got Hermione with you. Without a girlfriend she would be even worse." Pansy said. "If she thought you were single she'd be sneaking into your cabin in the middle of the night. You'd wake up and find her in bed with you."

"Thanks for that Pans, you'll give me nightmares." Draco chuckled.

"I'm just pointing out how much worse it could be." Pansy replied, causing the other three to laugh at her.

The two couples were still laughing and talking happily when Daphne and Blaise entered the room. Daphne immediately spotted the seating arrangements were slightly wrong, and she was unimpressed when it transpired that Astoria had switched the name cards around. She was going to change them back, but when Hermione reassured her that there was no need, Daphne left them as they were. Still muttering about her sister, Daphne headed off to the other end of the table where she was sitting with her mother. Normally she would sit with Blaise, but with the wedding creeping nearer her mother had a few last minute details she wanted to run past the bride.

"Are you sure you don't want me to move Astoria?" Blaise checked with Hermione as he settled down in his seat with his drink. "I can shove her over the other side of the table."

"I think she'll be fine where she is." Hermione smirked. "I've got Draco to talk to, and isn't Theo sitting next to you? I'm sure you two have plenty to talk about."

Blaise chuckled when he realised Hermione's plan. Instead of moving Astoria, she was just going to freeze her out. His future sister-in-law would be stuck in between the two people who disliked her the most and neither of them would strike up conversation with her.

"You've definitely got a sneaky Slytherin streak in you." Blaise smirked. "I can see why Draco likes you so much."

Less than ten minutes later Hermione's plan was put into action with the arrival of Astoria. By this time Theo and Ginny had shown up and Blaise was quite happily chatting with the couple. Hermione was also busy talking with Draco and Harry, leaving a puzzled Astoria staring at the table as she wondered why she wasn't sitting next to Draco.

"Is there something wrong Astoria?" Daphne called across the room.

Astoria opened her mouth to complain that someone had been messing with the name cards, but the unimpressed glare coming from her sister made her rethink her decision. Instead she said everything was fine and slid into her seat in between Hermione and Blaise.

"Nice try." Hermione whispered to Astoria as the starters were served.

Shooting Astoria a satisfied smile, Hermione once again turned her back on the blonde witch and resumed her conversation with Draco and Harry. Blaise also ignored Astoria for the rest of dinner and once dessert was over, she jumped up and flounced out of the dining room in a huff.


	10. Chapter 10

After Astoria's departure after dinner, she wasn't seen again that evening. She was also nowhere to be seen when Hermione and Draco entered the breakfast room the following morning. However since breakfast was informal and the pair were actually slightly later than normal, they had no idea if she'd been around earlier. As it was the only person in the room was Blaise, none of their other friends were around.

"Do you think it's safe to sit down? Or am I going to get accosted by Astoria?" Draco asked Blaise.

"I actually think you might be safe." Blaise told his friend.

"How?" Hermione questioned. "Has she been thrown overboard?"

"I wish." Blaise laughed. "I think she's going to be sulking until it's time to disembark on Sunday."

"Why would she be sulking?" Draco asked. "I hardly think being snubbed at dinner is going to put her off pursuing me."

"I don't suppose it will, but getting a tongue lashing from her father might." Blaise replied.

Blaise then went on to explain how Daphne's father had spoken to her after dinner and asked what was going on with Astoria. Daphne had told her father all about Astoria's behaviour and Mr Greengrass had been less than impressed. According to Blaise, he'd gone to speak to Astoria the previous evening. Since then there hadn't been a peek from the annoying witch.

"So if you haven't seen her, how do you know she's sulking?" Draco questioned. He didn't want to get his hopes up about Astoria leaving him alone, only to have them dashed the next time he saw her.

"I'm just guessing, but her father was furious with her." Blaise answered. "There's no way he didn't give her a good dressing down for her behaviour."

"Let's just hope it worked, and the rest of the trip is peaceful." Hermione said. "I could do without more Astoria dramas."

Draco and Blaise nodded in agreement, as they carried on with their breakfast. Once Blaise was finished eating, he had to head off to attend to some wedding business. He also mentioned that Daphne was busy with wedding stuff, but he promised they would both be around by lunchtime.

"Since everyone else seems to be missing, it looks like it's just you and me." Draco said to Hermione. "So what do you fancy doing?"

"How about we go to the sports complex. I'm sure I saw a tennis court when Blaise was showing us around." Hermione answered. They'd done a lot of lounging around in the sun lately, and while it was nice to relax she was ready to do something more active.

"Okay, I'm sure I can manage to beat you before lunch." Draco grinned.

"You wish." Hermione laughed. "You've never managed to beat me yet."

"I know, why do you think I prefer playing doubles with you instead of playing against you." Draco retorted.

"Well unless we can rustle up a couple of people to beat, it looks like we're going to be on opposite sides of the court." Hermione said as she finished off her breakfast.

Once Draco was also finished his breakfast they headed to the sports complex, where they found Hermione was right and there was a tennis court. After quickly popping back to their cabin to change into more suitable clothes, the pair then headed back to the sport complex and spent the rest of the morning playing tennis. After Hermione had won their first two matches, Draco won the last one before they had to go and shower before lunch.

Draco was still revelling in his victory as they entered the lunch room to find all their friends already sitting discussing what was going to happen that afternoon. After grabbing their own lunch, Draco and Hermione settled down to eat and to find out what the plan for the rest of the day was. Over lunch it was decided that the girls would head off to the spa for a few hours, while the lads would go for a swim. When the girls were finished they would then meet the others at the pool, where the group would spend another few hours enjoying the sun.

After lunch everyone quickly popped back to their cabins to change, before the girls headed to the spa and the lads headed to the pool. While Blaise, Theo and Harry all dove straight into the crystal blue waters, Draco decided not to swim. Instead he settled down on a sun lounger and closed his eyes, using the time to think.

Draco had decided to tell Hermione how he felt about her, he was just trying to decide when would be the best time to broach the subject. Since he wasn't sure how Hermione would take the news that he was in love with her, Draco was wary about telling her while they were still on the boat. He didn't want to cause any problems before Blaise and Daphne's wedding, but he had to tell her how he felt. The last few days had shown Draco just how good he and Hermione could be together, and he wanted a chance at the real thing.

Draco's thoughts about Hermione were interrupted by Blaise suddenly appearing at his side, asking for him to join the others in the pool. Draco relented and headed into the pool for a while, before he retreated back to his sun lounger. Settling back to enjoy the sun, Draco wondered when Hermione would be returning. Even though she'd only been gone for just over an hour, Draco was missing Hermione. Lying around by the pool would be much more fun with his best friend at his side.

Lying in the warm afternoon sun, Draco was just drifting off to sleep when someone ran their hand over his torso. Before he had a chance to open his eyes, Draco suddenly felt whoever it was drop into his lap. Initially he'd thought the hand belonged to Hermione, but as soon as she sat on his knee he knew it wasn't his best friend. Draco's eyes shot open and his worst fears were confirmed, it was Astoria perched on his lap.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" He demanded, sitting up and trying to prise Astoria off him. Astoria however wasn't going anywhere, she'd wrapped her arms tightly around Draco's neck and refused to be shifted.

"Stop fighting Draco, I know you want me." Astoria said, nuzzling into Draco's neck.

"No, I don't." Draco insisted, once again trying to prise Astoria off him.

As he was battling with Astoria he spotted his friends getting out of the pool, and he thought they were coming to help. However the trio came to a standstill a few feet away, all three looking amused. Draco was just about to ask why his friends weren't helping him, when he heard a shocked gasp from behind him, followed by the sound of someone approaching.

"What are you doing, you little tart." Hermione cried as she appeared beside Astoria and a struggling Draco.

Astoria turned her head to smirk at Hermione, when without warning Hermione reached out and grabbed hold of Astoria's arm. The movement took Astoria by surprise and her grip on Draco loosened. Draco quickly took advantage of Astoria losing her grip and he pushed her firmly off him as Hermione pulled at her arm. The end result was Astoria flying off Draco's lap and when Hermione let go of her arm, her momentum carried her towards the swimming pool. With no way of stopping herself, Astoria ended up falling in the pool with a large splash.

Astoria's fall into the pool was met with hilarious laughter from everyone. The laughter only increased as a soaking wet Astoria clambered out of the pool and stalked menacingly towards Hermione.

"You bitch." She spat, stopping a safe distance away from the brunette witch.

"You should think yourself lucky, I didn't throw you into the sea. That was what I promised would happen, if I had to warn you again." Hermione replied. "I thought you might have gotten the message when I threw you out of our cabin in just your underwear. Keep your hands off Draco. He's mine."

"He wanted my hands on him." Astoria retorted. "You should have felt him responding to me. If you hadn't disturbed us, we would be back in my cabin by now."

"Please, he was trying to get you off him." Theo snorted. "Not that I can blame him, who would want a tramp like you on his lap."

"Are you going to let people talk about me in that way?" Astoria demanded, glaring at Daphne.

"Why not, it's the truth." Blaise answered for his fiancée. "You are a tramp. I told you before this trip that Draco was bringing his girlfriend, but then again people having girlfriends doesn't really bother you does it? I mean if you would try it on with your own sister's boyfriend, why not someone else's."

"She tried it on with you?" Theo looked at Blaise in shock. "When was this, and why didn't you tell me?"

"It was way back when I first started dating Daphne." Blaise explained. "Daphne and I returned from an evening out to find Astoria lying on my bed in just her underwear."

"She seems to like that trick. I found her the same way on Tuesday afternoon. She was waiting in our cabin for Draco to return." Hermione said.

"I can't believe you've done that again." Daphne shook her head at her sister. "I forgave you for trying to seduce Blaise, but this is getting out of hand. I've already told you this, but I'm telling you it for one final time. Leave Draco alone. In fact leave any man alone if he has a partner."

"It was only a bit of innocent flirting." Astoria pouted. "Honestly, you lot are so boring. I didn't mean anything by it."

"Sure you didn't." Draco muttered sarcastically.

"I can't wait until this trip is over and I never have to see any of you again." Astoria announced.

Without waiting for a response, she stalked over to the other side of the pool and settled down on a sun lounger. Glaring at the group over the other side of the pool, she proceeded to strip her bikini top off and settled back to sunbathe topless.

With Astoria's dramatics done with the rest of the group also settled down, still gossiping about the showdown. Hermione was very aware that Astoria was still watching them, so instead of using a sun lounger of her own she settled on Draco's lap. Draco was more than happy to have Hermione on his knee, as she settled against him and kept running her lips over his neck.

"I didn't know you'd caught Astoria in our cabin." Draco whispered to Hermione.

"I thought my warning back then might have gotten through to her." Hermione replied quietly. "Obviously it didn't."

"I can't think why not, you were very possessive of me." Draco muttered, trying hard not to moan as Hermione's soft lips moved against his neck.

"I just wanted to get the point across." Hermione shrugged.

"That I was yours?" Draco questioned.

"It's all part of the act." Hermione replied.

"Well, it's very convincing." Draco said. "Although I have to confess, I would rather it wasn't an act."

"What?" Hermione lifted her head up and looked at Draco in surprise.

"This, what we're doing. I wish it wasn't an act." Draco confessed, making sure he was speaking quietly enough so that they wouldn't be over heard. "I wish you were sitting on my lap because you wanted to, not because you're trying to prove a point to Astoria."

"What if I'm doing both?" Hermione questioned. "What if I meant every word I said to Astoria? What if I want you to be mine?"

"I already am." Draco replied.

Gently cupping Hermione's face in his hand, Draco pulled her towards him and connected their lips. The kiss was soft and gentle, but they could both feel the fire burning between them. One move from either of them could turn the embrace into a steamy kiss in seconds. However neither of them ignited the kiss any further, they were happy to leave it as a sweet kiss.

"I think we need to talk privately." Hermione said as they finally parted.

"Yeah, I guess we do." Draco replied.

Hermione moved off Draco's lap, and once she was up he also got up. Saying goodbye to their friends, they headed back below deck. In silence they made their way back to their cabin, each of them fully aware that the talk they were about to have would change their relationship forever.


	11. Chapter 11

When they arrived back in their cabin, Draco and Hermione nervously sat down on the bed. Neither of them were sure how to start the conversation, so for a few minutes silence reigned between them.

"Maybe we should just forget this and go back to normal." Hermione suggested, finally breaking the silence.

"You want to pretend we never admitted how we really feel?" Draco questioned in surprise.

"Yes." Hermione nodded, before she changed her mind and shook her head. "Maybe, I don't know." She sighed.

"Hermione, look at me." Draco reached out and took hold of Hermione's chin, gently raising her head so she was looking at him. "This isn't going to ruin our friendship, I'm not Weasley."

"How did you know that's what was worrying me?" Hermione gasped. Even though she'd spoken to Draco about her failed relationship with Ron and their subsequent falling out, she was unsure how he'd worked out it was affecting her relationship with him.

"I'm not stupid, Hermione." Draco chuckled. "It was very clear whenever you spoke about Weasley that you regretted losing his friendship, not the romantic relationship. It makes sense that you're wary of changing another friendship into romance. But I'm not Weasley, thing won't turn out the same way."

"How do you know that?" Hermione asked. "If anything happens between us and we then broke up, I would lose the best friend I've ever had. As hard as it was losing Ron, it would be worse losing you."

"I can't guarantee any romantic relationship between us will work out, but I can guarantee you'll always be my best friend." Draco responded. "I never want to lose you, and I will fight to ensure you stay in my life."

"That's why we need to just stay friends." Hermione sighed, getting up off the bed and pacing the floor in front of Draco. "Ron and I said some pretty horrible stuff to one another when we broke up, stuff we couldn't take back. I don't want that to happen to us, I don't want us to hurl hurtful insults at each other."

"When do we ever do that?" Draco asked. "We don't always get along, we do fight even as friends. But we never throw hurtful remarks around, not anymore. Neither of us have really insulted each other since school, so why should it change now? If anything being romantically involved should lessen the chance of hurtful insults, you shouldn't want to hurt someone you love."

Hermione was silent as she thought about what Draco was saying. It was true that they did still argue as friends, but it was also true that they never insulted one another when they fought. Hermione never once brought up Draco's past and the things he'd done, and he'd never once resorted to using her blood status against her. The worst thing they ever said to each other was to call the other person annoying, stubborn or frustrating. On the other hand she and Ron had often exchanged more hurtful insults in both their arguments as friends and as lovers. Hermione had lost count of the time Ron's words had seriously wounded her in an argument, and she knew she'd done to same to him. When she'd been upset she wasn't opposed to hurling remarks aimed to hurt his feelings. However she would never dream of throwing an insult at Draco that would hurt him in the same way.

"If you want to forget this, we can. We can go back to normal and pretend we never said anything." Draco sighed, taking Hermione's silence as an indicator she didn't want to discuss the topic further.

"I don't want that." Hermione admitted quietly. "Yes, I'm scared of losing my best friend. But if we just bury this under the carpet it will eat away at our friendship and we'll drift apart. We need to talk properly and make a firm decision about our future."

"Perhaps we should start by both revealing what we want from each other." Draco suggested.

Hermione nodded and sat back down next to Draco. "You go first."

"I want you." Draco replied quietly. "I've been in love with you for years, and I just want a chance to see if you could possibly feel the same way."

Hermione smiled at Draco's confession as she took hold of his hand. "I already feel the same way. I've loved you for so long, I was just too afraid to tell you."

"Because of the mess with Weasley." Draco stated, understanding where Hermione's hesitance had come from.

"Yes." Hermione nodded. "I don't want to make the same mistake twice. So what's your excuse for not telling me how you felt sooner?"

"I was scared." Draco admitted. "You know absolutely everything about me, both the good and the bad. You know my past and you've seen first-hand what sort of person I used to be, and what I've done. How could I ever expect you to be interested in me, knowing what you do? I'm bloody lucky you'll even be my friend, I don't even deserve that."

Letting go of Draco's hands, Hermione placed her hand on Draco's cheek. "You have to stop beating yourself up about the past. All those bad things are behind you, you're no longer the same person. You're a good man, Draco, and you more than deserve to have someone who loves you."

Hermione knew how much Draco tortured himself over his past, and she just hoped her words would sink in. On a whole he was pretty positive and tried not to let his past get him down, but every now and again something would happen and he would end up wallowing in self-pity.

"I'm not a good man." Draco shook his head and pulled away from Hermione. Grabbing his wand he waved it over his left arm, revealing the dark mark that he permanently kept hidden with a concealment charm. "This isn't the mark of a good man."

"It's the mark of man who did what he had to do to save his family when he was just a boy." Hermione argued, gently running her fingers over the faded black mark that marred Draco's pale skin. "I don't hold the mark against you, I know how you suffered. I understand that you struggle with the past, but I don't. I don't think of you as the boy who bullied me because of my muggle background, I think of you as the man who supported me when I thought I was losing my father. I don't see who you used to be, I see who you are now. And who you are now, is the man I'm madly in love with."

Draco looked at Hermione in awe, he definitely didn't deserve someone so compassionate and forgiving, but he wasn't going to turn her away. Instead he would be selfish, and hold onto her as tightly as he could.

"I love you, Hermione. And if you're willing to take the chance, I'll show you just how much."

"I'm willing to take the chance." Hermione smiled.

Draco smiled back at Hermione, before closing the gap in-between them and connecting their lips. Unlike the kiss out on the deck, this one got pretty heated rather quickly. Hermione wrapped her arms around Draco's neck and pulled him closer as his tongue invaded her mouth, causing her to let out a contented moan. When they finally parted, both of them were slightly out of breath, but eager for more.

"Now I think it's time you showed me exactly how much you love me." Hermione said with a seductive smile.

"Are you sure?" Draco checked. "I don't want to rush you into anything. There's no hurry to do anything."

"Yes, there is." Hermione chuckled. "We've spent the last few days playing at being a couple, and it's driving me mad. It's so frustrating getting to kiss you and touch you in public, but never being able to act on how attracted I am to you in private. Sleeping next to you, but not doing anything has been torture."

"It hasn't exactly been easy on me." Draco said. "I've woke up every morning, with you wrapped in my arms, and all I wanted to do was stay in bed and make love to you."

"I wish you had." Hermione whispered. "I hated it when you got up and went to the bathroom. I would much rather have been the one helping you relieve yourself."

"You were awake?" Draco gasped.

"Yeah." Hermione nodded.

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"The same reason you never did." Hermione chuckled. "I'm an idiot, in fact we're both are. If we'd only talked to each other earlier we wouldn't have had to act at all on this trip. We could have just came as a couple."

"At least we can leave as a couple." Draco said. "But to be fair, the only acting I ever did was pretending everything was an act."

"You know I think we've done enough talking." Hermione said. "A few days ago Astoria mentioned that sex on a boat was supposed to be amazing, do you fancy putting her theory to the test?"

"Definitely." Draco grinned. "Although if I remember rightly, you told her it was the best sex you've ever had. So I guess, I'll have to make sure it is. I wouldn't want to make a liar out of you."

Hermione laughed in response as she pulled Draco towards her and reconnected their lips. As they kissed, the couple fell back onto the bed where their clothes began to rapidly dwindle. The couple took their time as they undressed each other and explored every inch of each other's body with their hands and mouths. Eventually they were naked and slowly they began to make love.

As it turned out Astoria was right, sex on a boat was amazing. The slight rocking motion helped them set a gentle rhythm and it seemed to increase the pleasure they felt. Hermione was also right with what she'd told Astoria, it was the best sex either her or Draco had ever had. Although both Draco and Hermione suspected the latter part was more to do with being together, than being on a boat. No doubt wherever they were together the sex would be amazing.

Hermione and Draco spent the entire afternoon in bed, talking and making love. They only got out of the large bed, when it was time to get ready for dinner. Of course when they showered they did so together, which caused them to get distracted and stay under the hot spray of the water for longer than they'd intended. As a result they had to dress in a hurry and were very nearly late for dinner.

"You two look flushed." Theo smirked as the couple settled down at the dining table, seconds before the starters were served. "Had a fun afternoon, have you?"

"We did, yes." Hermione replied with a large smile.

"You two look as though you're in the first flushes of romance." Ginny remarked to the grinning couple.

"Yeah, you wouldn't think you'd been together years." Pansy added.

"We'll tell you a secret if you promise not to tell Astoria." Hermione whispered, glancing down to the other side of the table where Astoria was sitting out of earshot. She and Draco had discussed things that afternoon and decided to inform their friends of their real story.

"Hermione and I have only just gotten together today." Draco said, once everyone agreed to keep their secret. "We were just posing as a couple to keep Astoria away from me."

"Nah, I don't buy it." Blaise shook his head disbelievingly. "There is no way these past few days have been an act. Anyone with half a brain cell can see you're crazy about one another."

"We are, we just hadn't admitted it to each other." Draco replied. "This afternoon was the first time we've talked and admitted how we really feel."

"Judging by the smiles you're both sporting, I'd say you did more than talk." Theo snorted.

"We may have gotten to know one another in a physical sense as well." Draco grinned.

"That's quite a ruse you put on to escape the clutches of my little sister." Daphne said.

"And she was still hard to shake." Draco said. "I hate to think what she would have been like if I didn't have Hermione with me."

"She would have been impossible." Daphne sighed. "For some reason she's rather obsessed with you. She's dated plenty of men since you moved to Australia, but you're still the one she mentions the most. I think she had her heart set on marrying you and becoming the next lady of the Manor."

"That was never going to happen." Draco replied with a snort.

"We all know that, but getting that through to Astoria is another matter." Daphne said. "You never know, hopefully this week will help her move on with her life."

"Speaking of moving on with lives, I think you two owe me a thank you." Blaise said to Hermione and Draco.

"What for?" Draco questioned.

"For bringing you together." Blaise answered. "If I hadn't warned you about Astoria, you would have shown up to the wedding alone. But because you had advanced warning she was on the prowl, you were able to bring Hermione along. Then you managed to fall in love on my boat."

"To be fair, I think they were already in love with each other, but were just too bloody stubborn to see it." Harry pointed out.

"Even so, my boat was the catalyst." Blaise insisted, waving off Harry's protests to the contrary.

"Whether it was your boat or not is debatable, but we will thank you for the advanced warning regarding Astoria." Draco said. "You're right, if I hadn't known about Astoria I never would have invited Hermione, and who knows if we ever would have admitted how we felt. So thank you Blaise, for providing us with the opportunity to get together properly."

Blaise grinned proudly as the four couples toasted Hermione and Draco's new relationship, and his small part in making it happen.


	12. Chapter 12

When Draco awoke on Friday morning he found himself in the familiar position of having Hermione wrapped protectively in his arms, one hand cupping her breast while his morning arousal pressed against her. However unlike the other mornings, they were both completely naked. Remembering what Hermione had said the previous day about being awake the other times, Draco squeezed her breast and rubbed his thumb over her already hard nipple. Hermione let out a small whimper at the action and wriggled against him.

"Morning, sexy." Draco muttered, brushing his lips over the soft skin of Hermione's neck.

"Morning." Hermione smiled as she rolled over in Draco's arms, so she was facing the blond wizard.

"How are you this morning?" Draco asked. "You don't regret anything, do you?"

"No, I don't regret anything." Hermione reassured Draco.

"Good." Draco grinned as he lowered his head towards Hermione and slanted his lips over hers.

"I really don't want to get up this morning." Hermione mumbled as they separated.

"We don't have to." Draco answered as his hand skimmed over Hermione's bare skin. "We can stay here and have a restful morning."

"I don't think what you have in mind would be considered restful." Hermione moaned as Draco's hand dipped in between her legs and started stroking her.

"Maybe not, but it's a fun way to spend the morning." Draco grinned.

"Yes, it is." Hermione agreed, surging forward to kiss Draco as her own hands started exploring his toned body.

For the rest of the morning the couple made use of the large bed, the shower and even the vanity table and chair. The only reason they finally tore themselves away from one another was the fact it was lunchtime and they had both worked up an appetite. Plus it seemed rather rude to spend the entire day locked away in their cabin, while their friends were around.

Heading to the lunch room Draco and Hermione found all their friends were already sitting at a table, along with Astoria. Astoria gave the couple a frosty glare, but didn't speak, as they grabbed some lunch and settled down at the spare seats at the table. However, the rest of their friends gave them a warm welcome and several innuendoes were made as to why the couple hadn't been seen all morning.

"We're going to play quidditch this afternoon, are you up for it?" Theo asked Draco.

"Yeah, I'm up for a game." Draco said.

"Can we convince you girls to join us?" Blaise asked, smiling at the witches around the table.

"Not today." Ginny answered with a shake of her head. "I'm on holiday, meaning I want a break from quidditch."

"We'll just watch from the side-lines." Pansy said.

"But how are we expected to play with four of us?" Harry questioned. "That's just not feasible."

"Sure it is." Theo responded. "We just play two on two, forget the snitch and bludger's and see who can score the most goals."

"Yeah, you just play as chaser and keeper all in one." Blaise said.

"Okay, we can try it." Harry shrugged. He wasn't totally convinced that the game would be any fun with just four, but he was mainly worried about the lack of a snitch in the game. He didn't know if he could actually play as a chaser/keeper.

"Excellent." Blaise grinned. "And since I'm the groom and it's my special day tomorrow, I get to pick my partner first." Pausing, Blaise looked thoughtfully between the three other wizards. "I choose Theo."

Theo whooped in joy as Draco frowned at Blaise. "Why Theo?" He asked. "He wasn't even on the team back in school."

"Maybe not, but he often trained with us." Blaise replied. "Anyway the real reason is you and Harry both played seekers, you're not used to playing chaser or keeper. Theo and I are, and I'm confident we can thrash the pair of you."

"I wouldn't count on that." Draco warned his friend. "Harry and I can win, can't we?"

"Yeah." Harry nodded, agreeing with Draco. He wasn't sure if they could, but he was certainly up for the challenge.

"Ooh lovely, a rivalry." Pansy grinned. "This is much more interesting than a friendly game."

"How about we make it even more interesting." Blaise suggested.

"What do you have in mind?" Draco asked.

"Ten galleons a goal." Blaise said. "Every time you score Theo and I have to pay you ten galleons, and every time you score you have to pay us. The girls can keep our wallets and keep track of the winnings."

"I'm up for that. Harry?" Draco turned to Hermione's friend, not wanting to speak for him in case he wasn't up for spicing things up with a wager.

"Yeah, I'm happy to bet." Harry said.

"So am I." Theo added, since no-one had bothered to check with him.

Once everything was decided the group finished their lunch, before heading up to the quidditch pitch. While Blaise was grabbing the equipment they would need, the rest of the lads were handing their wallets over to their girlfriends. Astoria meanwhile was settling down on the other side of the pitch. Since Hermione and Draco had arrived she'd barely spoken, but Hermione wasn't sure if it was their presence that was keeping her quiet or if she was still sulking from the previous day. When Blaise returned with the equipment, the lads each grabbed a broom and took off into the sky, while the girls settled down to watch.

As the game got underway the girls watched eagerly, as they kept track of the goals and made sure they each donated on their partner's behalf's. After an hour the two piles of money were growing steadily, although Draco and Harry had earned more.

"I think Blaise's theory was way off." Daphne chuckled as her and Ginny paid out another ten galleons as Harry scored. "Draco and Harry look to be better than him and Theo."

"Of course they are." Pansy grinned. "They've both been playing for longer, and both could have played professionally if they wanted."

"Really?" Daphne questioned, shocked by the revelation.

"Yeah, Harry got a few offers after the war." Ginny explained. "He was tempted, but his heart was set on becoming an Auror."

"Draco also got a few offers after the war." Pansy said. "I don't know why he turned them down, I'm guessing he just wanted to go into business with Lucius."

"He didn't want to be in the public eye." Hermione explained. "After everything that had happened, he wanted to be left alone. He didn't want to become a quidditch player and find himself in the press all the time."

"He always did hate the attention he received after the war." Daphne remarked. "Being a professional quidditch player would have only added to that."

"Yeah, if you play quidditch you do tend to be in the press a lot." Ginny said. "I remember my break up with Harry, it was all over the papers, and most of the reports just weren't true. They were just hurtful, mindless gossip."

As the girls talked they kept an eye on the game and the two piles of money just kept on building. However by the time they lads called it a day and returned to the ground Harry and Draco's pile was double the size of Blaise and Theo's.

"Not bad for two seekers, is it?" Draco smirked at his friend as he and Harry doled out their winnings.

"Beginners luck." Blaise huffed. "Next time, we'll thrash you."

"Well next time will have to wait." Daphne announced. "Right now, it's time we headed back to our cabins and got ready for tonight. And just remember to behave, you four." Daphne glared at the boys one by one as she spoke. "Remember the wedding's tomorrow afternoon, I don't want to be marrying a hung over idiot."

"Why do I feel as though I'm missing something?" Draco asked looking at Hermione, who seemed just as confused as he was.

"We must have forgotten to mention it, but while you two were busy in your cabin this morning we decided that tonight we're going to hold mini stag and hen nights." Blaise explained. "All the witches on board are going to one of the nightclubs, and all the wizards are heading to another one."

"There'll be nibbles at both clubs, so there's no dinner either." Daphne added as they started to make their way back below deck.

Apart from Astoria, who'd left the moment the quidditch game was over, the group headed back to their cabins, where they went their separate ways to get ready for the evening.

"I can't believe we have to spend the evening apart." Draco grumbled as Hermione rummaged through the wardrobe for a suitable outfit.

"It's only a few hours." Hermione chuckled. "Besides, I'd bet by the end of the night we'll all be in the same place."

"True." Draco nodded. "I'm sure I can persuade Blaise that we really need to be in the same club as you girls. After all what's a stag night, without gorgeous women to ogle."

Hermione shook her head as she walked over to where Draco was sitting on the bed and wrapped her arms loosely around his neck. "Just as long as you're not ogling other women. You wouldn't want to give Astoria the wrong idea now, would you?"

"You're the only woman I'm planning on ogling." Draco replied. "Although I plan on doing a lot more than ogling tonight."

"Are you not sick of me yet?" Hermione chuckled. Since tumbling into bed the previous afternoon they'd had a lot of sex, and she was hoping she was good enough to keep Draco satisfied. While she wasn't exactly a novice in the sex department, and she'd had plenty of good sex before, she knew Draco was a lot more experienced than her.

"I'll never be sick of you." Draco answered truthfully. "Even when we're old and grey, I'll still be wanting to drag you into bed."

"Old and grey, eh?" Hermione raised an eyebrow at her boyfriend. "Sounds like someone's looking to the future."

"Yeah, I guess I am." Draco smiled. "But honestly, I just can't picture my life without you in it. And now you're finally mine, I'm never letting you go."

"Good, because I have no intention of letting you go either." Hermione smiled back at Draco.

Draco pulled Hermione down into a deep kiss, but when his hands started wandering Hermione reluctantly pulled away. Telling her boyfriend they needed to get ready, she slipped into the bathroom and locked the door so Draco wouldn't be tempted to join her and hold them up even further. When Hermione exited the bathroom, Draco headed in to use the facilities while Hermione got dressed.

Eventually the pair were all set to leave the cabin. Draco was dressed all in black, with black trousers and a black shirt. Hermione meanwhile was wearing a deep plum dress that ended mid-thigh. She was wearing very high black heels and Draco had already vowed to have her while she was still wearing the shoes. He'd also promised that before they left the boat they would have sex on one of the decks, although Hermione wasn't sure how he could manage that.

After meeting their friends, the group went in separate directions. The boys headed off to one nightclub, where the other wizards on board were already waiting for them, while the girls headed off to meet the other witches in another nightclub.

Apart from Astoria, who avoided her all evening, Hermione enjoyed getting to know Daphne and Blaise's relatives. She'd spoken to a few over the course of the cruise, but this was the first time she'd really spent time with them. She soon discovered that Blaise's mother was man mad, and several times she mentioned how attractive she thought Draco was. Although Daphne's grandmother was no better, she also commented on how lucky Hermione was to have Draco, and she went as far to inquire if the sex was good.

After a good few hours the older witches started to depart and shortly after Blaise's mother left, the lads showed up. Draco grinned cockily at Hermione before he dragged her onto the dance floor, where they proceeded to spend a good half hour dancing as close together as was possible without being indecent. When they weren't dancing, Hermione and Draco sat with their friends laughing and drinking. One by one the couples began to depart, each of them heading back to their cabins to carry on the fun in private.


	13. Chapter 13

The gentle sea breeze ruffled Hermione's hair as she walked along the back deck arm in arm with Harry. The front of the boat was awash with wedding preparations and to be honest Hermione felt like a spare part. Draco had gone with Theo to make sure Blaise was coping with his nerves, and Hermione didn't feel she knew Daphne well enough to join Pansy and Ginny who were helping her get ready. Luckily Harry felt the same way as he'd only been with Pansy a few months, so the two friends had used the opportunity to spend some time together.

The pair had already had one good talk, on Tuesday afternoon, but this time they were talking about other stuff. Their talk on Tuesday had mainly consisted of catching up with the last five years of each other's lives. Hermione had told Harry about her life in Australia, while he'd told her about his life as well as filling her in on the lives of other people she missed. This time however they were talking about what would happen once they left the boat the following day.

"So, will you be coming home now you and Draco are officially together?" Harry asked as they stopped and settled down on two chair that looked out at the sea.

"By home do you mean Britain?" Hermione questioned.

"Yeah." Harry nodded. "I just figured now you were together you'd want to settle down."

"I'm not sure we're ready for settling down just yet, but even if we were it wouldn't be in Britain. Sydney is our home, and to be honest I don't see us leaving anytime soon." Hermione answered.

"But I thought you would want to return home." Harry said, the disappointment evident in his tone.

"Moving back to Britain doesn't really make much sense. Both of our careers are in Sydney, not to mention my parents." Hermione explained. "I don't want to leave my parents again, especially not with everything we've been through since I found them again."

Harry nodded understandingly, knowing she was referring to her father's battle with cancer. He'd been really shocked when Hermione had mentioned her father's illness a few days ago. Not to mention he'd felt guilty for not being there for her. Hermione had been there for him so many times and Harry regretted that he'd just let her walk out of his life. He should have fought harder to keep in contact with her, he could have still been her friends while being friends with Ron and it was stupid of him to choose one when he could have had them both.

"What about Draco's family though?" Harry questioned. "And all your friends?"

"Draco visits his parents every few weeks and they visit him. With magic the distance isn't really an issue." Hermione answered. "As for our friends, until this week I didn't think I had any left. I know Draco hasn't been the best in keeping in touch with his friends, but I think this week will change that."

"I hope it will." Harry said. "I don't want this to be the last time I see you for years."

"It won't be." Hermione reassured Harry with a warm smile. "Now we're back in contact we can write, and visit each other. I'm sure you and Pansy would love to come and visit Sydney, and I want to visit you if that's okay."

"That's more than okay, it's brilliant." Harry beamed. "I'd love for you to come and visit. Would you still be interested in seeing the rest of the Weasley's and some of our other friends?"

"If they want to see me, then yes." Hermione answered. "However I don't want you to push anyone into agreeing to see me. I know when I left relations weren't good between me and most of the family, so I don't want to push my luck. I'll understand if they don't want to know."

"I told you on Tuesday, Ron will be okay with seeing you. In fact he'll be thrilled to see you."

"I doubt that." Hermione snorted. "Even if he has moved on, a lot happened between us Harry. Our break-up wasn't the nicest one in the world, and to be honest I'm not sure if any friendship is salvageable. We'd both have to be able to forgive and forget a lot of stuff."

"I'm not saying you'll ever be best friends again." Harry conceded. The idea of going back to being a close-knit trio was nice, but he knew it was an impossible dream. "But I do think you can salvage a friendship, providing of course you want to."

"Feel free to talk to Ron, but if he doesn't want to talk to me, leave it at that." Hermione said.

"I promise I won't push anyone into anything." Harry vowed. "But I reckon that by the time you're ready to pay your first visit back home, there'll be loads of people wanting to see you, and Ron will be one of them."

Slowly the conversation drifted away from Ron and towards the week they'd spent on the boat. After sharing a few laughs over things that had happened they got up and began heading back below deck. It was nearly lunch time and the lunch room would be operating as usual. When Hermione and Harry entered the room they found the entire group, minus the bride and groom, milling about and grabbing their lunch. The pair quickly joined the others and everyone settled down to eat together.

After lunch the three couples each went their separate ways as they prepared for the wedding that would take place later that afternoon. Hermione and Draco took a quick stroll on deck, before heading back to their cabin for a rest before the wedding. Resting of course meant lying on the bed, and lying on the bed led to the removal of clothing, which obviously led to a couple of hours of sex.

An early afternoon romp ended up being the perfect way to fill in time until the wedding. By the time Draco and Hermione had rolled out of bed and showered, it was time to start getting dressed. Hermione's outfit for the wedding was a pale lemon dress with white piping around the edges. She'd also bought a matching pair of shoes and bag and pinned her hair on top of her head in an elegant bun. Her jewellery was shaped like little yellow daises, and she had the matching earrings, necklace and bracelet. Draco meanwhile was wearing one of his best suits, dark grey with a crisp white shirt underneath.

"You look amazing." Draco said to Hermione as they finished dressing. "You're going to upstage the bride."

"Only in your eyes." Hermione chuckled.

Draco smiled in response, and taking hold of Hermione's hand the couple headed off to the wedding. The wedding was being held on the main deck, and it had been transformed into a long aisle with seats on either side, and a rose arch at the front of the boat. Standing beside the rose arch was a minister, who'd arrived by portkey earlier that morning. Plenty of the guests were already present, so Draco and Hermione took their assigned seats. Shortly after they'd sat down, Pansy, Harry and Ginny joined them. Theo was best man so he would be with Blaise, when the groom showed up.

After about fifteen minutes or so everyone was present and Blaise and Theo made their entrance. Blaise looked more nervous than anyone had ever seen him and as he stood at the front of the aisle he looked very jittery. Blaise's jitters subsided when a harp started to play, signalling the arrival of the bridal party. Astoria came down the aisle first as Daphne's one and only bridesmaid. In her long, elegant lilac gown she looked totally different from the tarty witch everyone had witnessed that week. Hermione couldn't help but think that she looked absolutely gorgeous when she was dressed decently, it was just a shame her personality didn't match.

After Astoria's entrance it was Daphne's turn to walk down the aisle on the arm of her father. She was wearing a long, sweeping white dress and looked every inch the blushing bride. At the front of the aisle, Blaise was captivated by his bride and everyone could see how much the couple loved each other when Daphne's father handed her over to Blaise.

The ceremony was short and sweet, with the couple having written their own very moving vows. Hermione had watched the ceremony with a tear in her eye, the wedding was quite possibly the most romantic one she'd ever witnessed. Even their first kiss as a married couple was romantic, with Blaise sweeping Daphne off her feet as he embraced her.

Once the ceremony was over, there was one more thing to do before everyone headed for the reception. Daphne's mother gathered all the women together for Daphne to throw the bouquet. Hermione was surprised by the muggle tradition, but Ginny explained that it had actually originated in the magical world. Originally the bouquets had charms on them and they would magically find the next person in the crowd that was to be married, whereas these days it was just pure chance who caught the bouquet.

Of course when Daphne threw the bouquet, it landed straight in Hermione's arms, even though she hadn't attempted to catch it. Astoria on the other had had been jumping up and down to catch the bouquet, but it had sailed over her grasping hands and landed in Hermione's arms.

"Looks like we've got another wedding coming up." Pansy laughed at Hermione's shocked expression as she looked at the bouquet in her hands.

"This means nothing." Hermione insisted.

"It means you're going to be next to get married." Pansy crowed. "Daphne's mother cast the old charm on it this morning so it would seek out the next person to be married."

Hermione couldn't decide to Pansy was joking or not, but she didn't worry about it as they headed to the reception. The reception was being held on yet another deck and the first few hours were the formal speeches and dinner, followed by the bride and groom's first dance. Once Blaise and Daphne had finished their first dance, almost everyone else got up and joined them on the dance floor.

Unfortunately another wizarding tradition dictated the best man danced with every woman at the reception, while the bridesmaid danced with every man. Hermione didn't mind dancing with Theo, and Ginny didn't mind her boyfriend dancing with other witches, as long as she got her fair share of him she was happy. What Hermione didn't like was that Astoria got to dance with Draco. Draco himself wasn't keen and the only reason he agreed to the dance was so he didn't ruin Blaise and Daphne's big day.

"Will you stop trying to push yourself against me." Draco hissed to Astoria as they danced. He was holding her a respectable distance from his body, but still she kept trying to creep closer to him.

"Why? Worried you might respond to my body pressed up against yours." Astoria smirked.

"I wouldn't respond if you were dancing naked." Draco snorted. "I'm not interested in you, Astoria. I never was."

"That's not true." Astoria stated. "We dated once, you were interested then."

"No, I wasn't." Draco sighed. "I agreed to go out with you as a favour to Daphne. She asked me if I would take you out, and I agreed. I was hoping you would be like her, but you're not."

"You wanted me to be like Daphne?" Astoria grimaced in disgust. "But she's so dull."

"Your sister isn't dull, she's lovely." Draco said. "Unlike you, she's a lady. She has real class, whereas you have none."

"I still have more class than your mudblood bitch." Astoria hissed.

Draco abruptly stopped dancing and his grey eyes flashed menacingly as he glared at Astoria. "If ever call my girlfriend that again, you'll regret it. And for the record Hermione has more class in her little finger than you have in your entire body. You're just a tart Astoria, a cheap little tart."

Without waiting for a response, Draco turned around and walked away from Astoria. Finding Hermione, he attached himself to her side and remained there for the remainder of the reception. Astoria meanwhile flitted about for a while, shooting Draco dirty looks every time the blond came into her line of vision.

"What exactly happened with Astoria?" Hermione asked, as she caught the blonde witch glaring at Draco yet again. "It looks as though she hates you."

"I just told her a few home truths." Draco replied. "It turns out she doesn't like hearing the truth about herself."

"No, I don't suppose she would." Hermione said. Judging by the looks Draco was getting, she was guessing that he had been pretty harsh with Astoria.

Shortly after that conversation Astoria disappeared below deck and night started to set in. As it got darker most other people began to move below deck, where one of the bars was equipped to carry on with the party. As everyone left Hermione and Draco were some of the few people left, but every time Hermione suggested they head below deck Draco convinced her to stay on deck for a bit longer.

"Okay, we are definitely going below deck now." Hermione insisted as she spotted Theo and Ginny leaving the deck. "All out friends are down there."

"We'll head down to the party in a while. Come with me." Draco replied. Taking hold of Hermione's hand he led her further down the deck and down some stairs, onto a lower deck.

"What are we doing here?" Hermione asked. The moonlight revealed that there was nothing on the deck, except for a couple of sun loungers.

"I made a promise to you yesterday." Draco smirked. "I promised you we would have sex on the deck, and here we are."

"You're wicked." Hermione giggled as she realised her boyfriend's intention.

"And don't you just love it." Draco responded, pulling Hermione down onto a lounger.

Hermione response turned into a loud moan as Draco began kissing her as his hands delved under her dress. Fifteen minutes later the couple were in the midst of a passionate lovemaking session on the small sun deck of Daphne's Delight.


	14. Chapter 14

Breakfast on Sunday was a bittersweet affair for the group of friends. Everyone was obviously pleased that Blaise and Daphne were now married, but they were acutely aware that their marriage meant the end of the trip. Since Blaise and Daphne hadn't attended breakfast the group were slightly unsure when exactly the trip was going to end. They knew that they would end up back in the South of France, but they didn't know when they would dock.

"So is everyone packed and ready to return to reality?" Pansy asked.

"Unfortunately, yes." Ginny sighed. "After this trip I'm not sure I want to go home. I want to carry on cruising."

"Maybe we should do this every year." Theo suggested with a chuckle. "Get a group of us to hire a ship and spend a few weeks cruising the open waters."

"Actually that sounds like a great idea." Harry said in all seriousness. "I think it's something we should consider."

"Would you two be up for that?" Ginny asked Draco and Hermione, who looked rather caught up in one another.

"As long as you don't invite Astoria. We'll come on another cruise." Draco replied.

"Who would invite her?" Pansy snorted. "Even Daphne wouldn't have invited her if she wasn't her sister."

"Enough about Astoria." Theo said. "Why don't we decide how to spend our last few hours together. For all we know Blaise could show up any minute and announce we're nearly ready to dock, so we don't want to waste time sitting about here talking about Astoria."

"Theo's right." Draco nodded in agreement. "I say we all head up onto one of the decks and grab some sun."

"Why don't we try out the sun deck." Ginny suggested as the group got up to leave the breakfast room. "Its position is designed to make the most of the sun, and we haven't used it yet."

"You may not have, but some of us have made use of it." Draco remarked.

"What's it like for the sun?" Pansy questioned. "Will it help finish off my tan."

"I don't know, the sun wasn't actually out when we used it." Draco replied, shooting a wicked grin in Hermione's direction, who blushed and lowered her head.

"You two are terrible." Harry chuckled, shaking his head at the couple.

"We were just making use of the facilities." Draco shrugged. "On a boat this size, you'd be mad not to take advantage of the space and indulge in a bit of alfresco fun."

"He does have a point." Pansy said to her boyfriend. "We used the large pool earlier in the week."

"Ginny and I had a bit of fun on the back deck a few nights ago." Theo added.

"See, we've all done it." Draco laughed.

"If Blaise finds out he'll never let any of us on his boat again." Pansy laughed.

"I bet Blaise and Daphne have christened the entire vessel." Draco replied. "That's probably where the name Daphne's Delight came from, knowing Blaise he wanted to commemorate all the pleasure Daphne had on board."

Laughing about Draco's potentially accurate theory the group arrived at the sun deck. Grabbing a lounger apiece they all settled down to enjoy a bit more of the warm Mediterranean sun. As they sunbathed they spoke about the future and several preliminary plans were put in place for visits between Hermione and Draco and their friends. Around mid-morning the group got a surprise when Blaise and Daphne appeared and settled down to join them. They'd fully expected they wouldn't see the newlyweds until the trip was drawing to a close.

"We'll be back in France by late afternoon." Blaise told his friends. "From there we'll head back up to the hotel and I can arrange your portkey's."

"I wish we didn't have to leave." Pansy sighed. "This has been the best week ever."

"Sorry Pans, but you're not staying on our honeymoon." Daphne grinned at her friend.

"I'm sure we can all do this again sometime." Blaise said.

"That's just what we were saying." Theo excitedly told Blaise.

Blaise immediately latched onto the idea and decided it was something they should do every year. By the time he'd finished he'd even suggested he could find a new boat and everyone could pay for a share in it. Blaise's idea was that they could all have one big holiday a year together, but any couple could use it privately as they wished. The more Blaise talked the more people were interested and finally it was decided that if he could find a suitable vessel, everyone would consider being a part owner.

At lunchtime the group headed down to the lunch room, before heading in their separate directions after eating. Even though they were all packed everyone wanted to double check that they hadn't missed anything. Blaise and Daphne meanwhile wanted to check on their other guests to make sure they were also ready to leave the boat.

As the afternoon progressed people started bringing their luggage up to the main deck. After touring the entire boat, Blaise had settled on the main deck and he was encouraging people to stay and enjoy one last cocktail on-board the ship. By the time Daphne's Delight pulled back into the port from which they started their journey everyone was up on deck. Even Astoria was on deck, smiling and laughing, although she steered clear of her sister's friends.

When it came to disembarking, Blaise and Daphne's family left the boat first. Once it was just the newlyweds and their friends, they also grabbed their cases and disembarked from the boat. The walk back up to Blaise's hotel was slow as neither of the eight friends were in a particular hurry to say goodbye to one another. Draco and Hermione would especially be missed as they lived so far away, whereas the other couples saw each other on a more regular basis.

"I'm sure the eight of us can meet up pretty regularly." Hermione said, when Ginny mentioned how much she would miss them all being together. "With magic it really isn't that big a deal travelling to and from Australia. I bet we could all meet up at least one weekend a month."

"I'd like that." Ginny smiled. "Let's do that."

"We will." Theo reassured his girlfriend as he wrapped his arm around her waist.

Talk of meeting up continued as they walked the final stretch to the hotel. Once they arrived at the hotel, Blaise and Daphne headed off to check their family were managing okay. The rest of the group headed into the bar and settled down for one final drink together. It had already been decided that they would be leaving last, giving Blaise and Daphne time to sort everyone else before dealing with their departure.

The group's last drink was a fun filled affair, with plenty of laughter. Instead of dwelling on the fact they wouldn't see each other for a while, they'd instead concentrated on having fun. In fact they were having so much fun that once Blaise and Daphne arrived they had another few drinks, before finally it was time to go their separate ways.

Back in the lobby of the hotel everyone said their goodbyes, with hugs being exchanged all around. Hermione ended up hugging everyone, even the Slytherins, but by this point she really did consider them to be good friends. While Draco just hugged the girls, he shared a friendly handshake with Harry. By now the two wizards were quite friendly and they were looking forward to seeing each other again. After giving everyone a hug, Hermione found herself back in front of Harry and Ginny.

"We're going to miss you so much." Ginny said quietly.

"I'm going to miss you too, Gin." Hermione smiled at the younger witch, before turning to Harry. "I'm going to miss you as well, Harry."

"I'll miss you too." Harry replied. "But this time it's going to be different. We're going to keep in touch and we'll see you regularly."

"Yes, you will." Hermione nodded.

"Are you ready to go?" Draco asked, coming up behind Hermione and placing a hand on her shoulder.

After sharing one final hug with her friends, Hermione took hold of Draco's hand and the couple grabbed their cases and headed off to catch their port key.

* * *

"It feels weird to be home." Draco said, collapsing onto the sofa in his penthouse.

The couple had arrived back in Australia less than an hour ago, and after making their way back to their block of apartments, Hermione had dropped her case off in her place before they headed into Draco's penthouse. Because of the time difference from France it was the middle of the night, but neither of them were particularly tired.

"Yeah, it does." Hermione agreed, settling down beside her boyfriend. "Do you think things will be different between us now we're home?"

"I don't see why they would be." Draco replied. "You're not worried, are you?"

"A bit." Hermione admitted. "What if we don't work in the real world? What if these last few days have just been a result of the being on the boat in such a romantic setting?"

Draco turned so he was facing Hermione. "Were your feelings a result of being on the boat?" He asked her.

"No, they've been there for a long time."

"And have they vanished, now we're home?"

"No." Hermione shook her head. "They're still there."

"Then we'll be fine." Draco reassured Hermione with a smile. "I'm sure some things will take some getting used to, but most things won't change between us. We already spend the majority of our free time together, only now we get the added benefit of amazing sex."

Hermione chuckled and shook her head at her boyfriend. "You're incorrigible."

"Thanks." Draco grinned as though Hermione had complimented him. "Now speaking of this amazing sex, do you want to see if it's as good in Sydney?"

"Why? Are you worried you're only a sex god in the Mediterranean?" Hermione teased.

"Sex god, eh?" Draco raised an eyebrow at Hermione's choice of word.

"You know what I meant." Hermione chuckled. She suspected her slip up would be something Draco brought up on a regular basis.

"I do." Draco conceded. "And to answer your question, no I'm not worried about my performance back home. I'm confident wherever we are in the world I can ensure you have a good time."

"I'm sure you can." Hermione admitted. "But I do think I should take you up on your offer to try you out. I don't want to be disappointed, do I?"

"You won't be." Draco grinned.

Standing up, Draco pulled Hermione off the sofa and into his arms. Connecting their lips he gave her a searing kiss, before dragging her off into his bedroom. Barely able to keep their hands to themselves, the couple hastily undressed and tumbled naked onto the bed. The couple proceeded to spend almost the rest of the night making love, before falling asleep in each other's arms as the sun rose on their new life together as a couple.

**The End.**

* * *

**A/N – Thanks to everyone who has left such great feedback on this story. And thanks to all those who followed and favourite the story. I'm pleased so many people seemed to have enjoyed the story. **

**I do actually have more planned from this universe, exploring Blaise's idea of the group buying a boat. I've actually written a one shot where the group buy the boat and have several more stories I want to write. However I have lots of ideas and I'm currently working on other stories so I don't know when I'll be getting back to them. **

**If people are interested I can post the one shot on the end of this story and when I write more I'll transfer them into a separate story. Or I can post the one shot as a separate story and add to it when I write more. Or If no-one is interested in more, I'll just leave the story here and not publish the bit I've already wrote. Feel free to give your opinions, and I'll decide before the end of the week what I'm going to do. **


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N – Thanks to all the wonderful advice I received about my Love Boat one shots, I've decided to post them in a separate story so I can keep adding when I write more. **

**The story is just called Love Boat One Shots and is rated T, although it might go up with a certain story I'm planning on doing. I've marked it as complete, but that is where I'll be adding more when I write more. **


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